Washingtonblade.com, Volume 51, Issue 2, January 10, 2020

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Comings & Goings Redman takes position at Chesapeake Climate Action Network

By PETER ROSENSTEIN Welcome to the first Comings & Goings column of 2020. This is the beginning of a new decade and for many it will be the start of a new job or the chance to celebrate new successes. It has been an honor to share your successes over the past few years and I look forward to continuing to do so as we enter this new decade.

I recently read a warning I wanted to share about the year 2020. It has been suggested you write out the full year on checks and legal documents like 1/1/2020 and not just write 1/1/20. It does make sense and you can read why here.

The Comings & Goings JANET REDMAN Photo courtesy of Redman column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at: comingsandgoings@washblade.com.

The Comings & Goings column also invites LGBTQ+ college students to share their successes with us. If you have been elected to a student government position, gotten an exciting internship, or are graduating and beginning your career with a great job, let us know so we can share your success.

Congratulations to Janet Redman, MBA, AIF on her new position as the director of engagement and strategic partnerships with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN). Redman has immersed herself in all things climate change for the past few years. Upon accepting the position she said, “After two corporate careers, in project management and finance, I’ve decided to make my next act my best act, and work to save our environment. I can’t imagine anything more important, and I’m thrilled to be back in the D.C. area since it is at the intersection of politics and science!”

Prior to this position she worked as a project manager Ecosystem Restoration (with GIS-mapping) for Letke Security in Joppa, Md., and as a financial strategist for Summit Wealth Advisors in Lewes, Del. She served as vice president, financial adviser, Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) for Bell Rock Capital, LLC and with Merrill Lynch in Rehoboth Beach, Del. Redman has been a volunteer in the community with a number of organizations, including as a Climate Reality Leader and Mentor, Citizen’s Climate Lobby. She is the founder and financial committee chair for Fund for Women; and worked with the CAMP Rehoboth Health and Wellness Initiative, and the Immanuel Shelter for the Homeless.

She received her bachelor’s in marketing/minor in marine biology from the University of Maryland, College Park; an MBA in Economics, The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore; and a Leadership Challenge Development Program Certificate from the Wharton School of Leadership in Philadelphia.

Redman anticipates receiving her master’s of Energy Policy and Climate from The Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C., in 2020.

Grosso presents resolution condemning violence against sex workers In a little-noticed development, D.C. Council member David Grosso (I-At-Large) on Dec. 17 presented a unanimously approved Council resolution recognizing the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers to sex worker advocacy groups at a ceremony at the D.C. LGBT nightclub Zeigfeld’s-Secrets.

The resolution, among other things states, “The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes the human rights of sex workers, including their right to be free from violence, and declares Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019 as ‘International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers in the District of Columbia.”

“I introduce this resolution – as well as the resolution honoring the Transgender Day of Remembrance – each year out of a sincere desire to bring our residents’ and my colleagues’ attention to the lives that have been lost and the people who have been harmed simply because they have engaged in sex work or are transgender,” Grosso said in a statement to the Washington Blade.

“These resolutions alone are not enough, however, and I believe the D.C. government should be taking stronger concrete steps to improve the health and safety and protect the human rights of these communities, beginning with enacting my legislation to decriminalize sex work and ending sex work-related arrests,” Grosso said in his statement.

At the ceremony at Ziegfeld’s-Secrets, Grosso presented copies of the Council resolution to members of the Sex Workers Advocates Coalition, including the local groups HIPS, No Justice No Pride, and Black Youth Project 100.

No Justice No Pride released a statement last week saying it rejected the copy of the resolution Grosso attempted to give to the group on grounds that it was among a series of “fake performative gestures” the city government has made to “end the epidemic of violence against trans community members, most notably Black Trans Women and Sex Workers.”

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Delaware GOP leader resigns over anti-gay slur The chair of the New Castle County, Del. Republican Party has agreed to resign at the request of the state GOP chair for posting an anti-gay slur on Facebook, according to the Associated Press.

New Castle GOP Chair Chris Rowe told the AP he made the decision to resign “begrudgingly and only under duress” after Delaware State Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Brady, who appointed him to the position last year, asked him to step down.

Blue Delaware, a liberal blog, published a screen shot of a message Rowe posted on Facebook using the word “faggot” to express his anger over a decision by YouTube not to post a video of a church member who fatally shot a gunman who threatened to shoot and kill members of the church.

Rowe later released a statement saying he used the anti-gay slur as part of “locker room talk” with a friend on Facebook. He insisted he isn’t homophobic.

Brady also asked the vice chair of the Sussex County, Delaware GOP, Nelly Jordan, to resign for making a social media post that many considered to be anti-Semitic. Since Jordan was elected to her post Brady could not force her to resign, the AP reported, and Jordan so far has refused to step down.

According to the Delaware News Journal, Jordan stated in her post that many Jews “in name only” were involved in “fabricating” a story to impeach President Donald Trump. Sussex County, where Jordan is based, includes Rehoboth Beach.

In a statement released last week, Brady said the posting by both Rowe and Jordan is not in keeping with the principles of the Delaware Republican Party.

“Our party includes individuals from all different backgrounds, joined together to advance the principles we hold dear,” she said. “I am proud of Delaware Republicans and their support for the broad range of diversity that makes our party stronger.”

Bob Kabel, chair of the national LGBT group Log Cabin Republicans, praised Brady’s action in response to what he called a regrettable situation.

“I’m thankful that DE GOP Chairwoman Jane Brady, a colleague of mine on the Republican National Committee and a friend of the LGBTQ community, has asked for and accepted the resignation of Chris Rowe from his leadership position,” Kabel told the Blade. “Holding ourselves accountable in this fashion will further advance our mission of inclusiveness and demonstrate to disaffected gay Democrats that they have a home in the Republican Party,” Kabel said.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

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07 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • JAN UARY 1 0 , 2 0 2 0

Va., Md. legislative sessions begin with change, high hopes Dems take power in commonwealth, promise LGBTQ protections

By PHILIP VAN SLOOTEN & MICHAEL K. LAVERS The Virginia General Assembly’s 2020 legislative session on Wednesday began with hopes that lawmakers will pass a comprehensive LGBTQ nondiscrimination bill.

Democrats last November regained control of the General Assembly for the first time in more than two decades.

Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax County) said during a Dec. 19 press conference in Richmond with LGBTQ activists that Virginia “needs comprehensive protections for our LGBTQ brothers, sisters, friends, co-workers.”

“In 2020, I’m here to tell you we will deliver them,” she added.

James Parrish, director of the Virginia Values Coalition, which supports the bill, echoed Filler-Corn.

“Discrimination is wrong,” Parrish told the Washington Blade on Tuesday in a statement. “No one should be fired from their job, evicted from their home, or kicked out of a store just for being who they are.”

Parrish added the bill would “bring the commonwealth into the 21st century by modernizing existing laws, while sending a message that Virginia welcomes all people to live, work and raise a family.” Vee Lamneck, executive director of Equality Virginia, which is part of the coalition alongside the Human Rights Campaign and other national LGBTQ advocacy groups, agreed.

“Under current Virginia law, LGBTQ people are not explicitly protected from discrimination, which means they can be fired, evicted, or denied service in restaurants or stores,” they told the Blade.

“Equality Virginia is proud to partner with Virginia Values Coalition members to advocate for nondiscrimination protections that ensure LGBTQ people have the freedom to go about their daily lives without the fear of discrimination or violence.”

Filler-Corn during last month’s press conference noted Virginia is among the more than two dozen states “where members of the LGBTQ community are not explicitly protected from discrimination.” Both Maryland and D.C. explicitly ban discrimination based on

Del. Danica Roem (D-Manassas) introduced a bill that would allow local governments to include sexual orientation and gender identity in their nondiscrimination ordinances.

Blade File photo by Michael Key

sexual orientation and gender identity.

Lamneck noted there are other legislative priorities this year that include adding sexual orientation and gender identity to Virginia’s hate crimes law and banning so-called conversion therapy in the state. Lamneck said creating safer schools for LGBTQ students is an additional goal for this legislative session.

“We have an important opportunity during this year’s General Assembly to create a more equal Virginia for the LGBTQ community,” they told the Blade.

State Del. Danica Roem (D-Manassas) has introduced bills that would allow local governments to include sexual orientation and gender identity in their nondiscrimination ordinances and require health insurance companies that offer policies in Virginia to cover transition-related care for transgender policy holders. Roem — the first openly transgender person seated in a state legislature in the U.S. — also told the Blade she will file a resolution that would designate Nov. 20 as the Transgender Day of Remembrance in Virginia.

State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) on Tuesday told the Blade he will once

again push for the repeal of Virginia’s statutory ban on same-sex marriage.

Ebbin, who is the only openly LGBTQ member of the Virginia Senate, said the decriminalization of marijuana and the reduction of e-cigarette and tobacco product use among young people are among his additional legislative priorities.

“When I first arrived in Richmond as an advocate 25 years ago we were fighting to end taxpayer-funded discrimination,” he told the Blade in a statement. “Even that proposition was dismissed out of hand by the legislature. Today, at the dawn of a new decade in Virginia, I am prepared to pass comprehensive bans on discrimination, and remove the stain that is the ban on LGBT marriage in the Virginia code.”

“The legislature has finally caught up to the electorate,” added Ebbin. “It’s now time for our laws to do the same.”

Filler-Corn on Wednesday reaffirmed this message in her speech on the House floor after her colleagues formally elected her speaker.

“Virginia gave the nation and the world a vision of equality and

democracy,” she said. “As we all know, it was a Virginian who laid it out in the Declaration of Independence.”

“We will continue our work to make this vision a reality for everyone, no matter where you come from, the color of your skin, the language you speak, the religion you practice or not, or who you love,” added Filler-Corn.

The Maryland General Assembly’s 2020 legislative session also began on Wednesday with new leadership.

House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County) succeeds Michael Busch, an Anne Arundel County Democrat who died last April. State Del. Maggie McIntosh (D-Baltimore City), who is among the openly LGBTQ members of the General Assembly, failed to secure enough votes to become speaker.

Jones is the first African American and the first female House speaker.

Maryland Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller (D-Prince George’s and Calvert Counties) last fall announced he plans to step down from leadership after more than 30 years. State Sen. Mary Washington (D-Baltimore City), who is the first openly LGBTQ person of color elected to the Senate, in November announced she is running for mayor of Baltimore.

The Baltimore Sun notes education reform funding, restricting vaping, a potential referendum on sports betting, protecting the Affordable Care Act and addressing crime in Baltimore City are among the key issues that lawmakers will face this year.

Mark Procopio, executive director of FreeState Justice, Maryland’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group, previously noted to the Blade there were five “significant victories” in last year’s legislative session.

These include the passage of a bill that allows Marylanders to obtain a genderneutral state ID. Maryland in 2019 increased funding for homeless youth, moved to develop LGBTQ-specific curricula in public schools, extended additional legal protections to LGBTQ families and expanded HIV prevention and treatment options for minors.

08 • WA S HI N GTONB L A D E.CO M • JAN UARY 1 0 , 2 0 2 0 • LO CAL N EW S

Longtime LGBTQ ally Jack Evans to resign from D.C. Council

Announcement averts expulsion vote over ethics violations

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com

D.C. Council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), one of the Council’s strongest supporters of the LGBTQ community during his 29 years in office, announced on Tuesday that he will resign from the Council effective Jan. 17.

Evans announced his plan to resign in a brief letter he hand delivered to Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-AtLarge) minutes before the start of a special Council hearing called to discuss the Council’s plans to expel Evans for alleged ethics violations and to give him a chance to defend himself before a final expulsion vote scheduled for Jan. 21.

After reading Evans’s resignation letter, Mendelson adjourned the hearing and announced the hearing would resume on Jan. 21. He did not say what, if any, action the Council would take upon the resumption of the hearing.

“After nearly 30 years of public service to the District of Columbia, I have advised the Board of Elections that I resign my position as the Ward 2 Councilmember on the Council of the District of Columbia, as of close of business on Friday, Jan. 17, 2020,” Evans states in his letter.

“I believe Washington, D.C. to be the pride of the nation and I am proud of the contributions I have made in helping to create a vibrant city,” Evans states in his letter. “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the District of Columbia and the residents of Ward 2.”

Many of D.C.’s most prominent LGBTQ activists over the past several months joined community leaders from across the city in calling on Evans to resign based on multiple ethics related allegations that Mendelson said the Council had confirmed through an investigation conducted on its behalf by a law firm.

Monica Nemeth, former president of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the city’s largest local LGBTQ political group, expressed what appeared to be the sentiment of many LGBTQ activists over Evans’s downfall. The Stein Club passed a resolution in July calling for his resignation.

“I’ll say I have mixed feelings about it,” Nemeth told the Washington Blade on Tuesday. “I wrote him and the Council

Council member Jack Evans resigned his seat effective Jan. 17.

Photo Courtesy Evans

at the time we passed the resolution in July asking him to resign,” she said.

“Essentially what I said was Jack was a stalwart ally of the community and for that we are totally grateful,” Nemeth told the Blade. “We recognize that and we will never forget how wonderful he was to the community,” she said.

“And it really is very sad what has happened in his situation,” she said in referring to revelations disclosed in the Council investigation that Evans violated multiple ethics rules when he allegedly used his office to assist companies that paid him hundreds of thousands of dollars in consulting fees.

Evans has denied any wrongdoing and has pointed out that he did not break

LOCA L NE WS • JANUA RY 10, 2020 • WA SHINGTON BL A DE . COM • 09

any laws despite a separate pending investigation by the federal government in which the FBI raided his house and confiscated documents.

“We feel he’s been in office for nearly 30 years and for 25 of those years he has really been a monumental leader in this city,” Nemeth said. “He really was instrumental in bringing this city back from the brink,” she said. “It’s really, really sad that he has fallen like this. I’m not sure what happened and why.”

Nemeth was referring to Evans’s longstanding support for local businesses and the city’s economic development efforts, including projects related to the Washington Nationals Stadium, the Walter Washington Convention Center,

and the downtown arena where the city’s professional basketball and hockey teams play.

Rick Rosendall, a longtime Ward 2 resident and former president of the D.C. Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance, wrote in a Washington Blade column in October, “How do you tell an old friend that it’s time for him to go?”

Rosendall recounted Evans’s long list of legislative accomplishments on LGBTQ related issues going back to when he led efforts to repeal D.C.’s antiquated sodomy law that made it illegal for consenting adults to have same-sex sexual relations.

“So urging Jack to move on need not be motivated by personal animus,” Rosendall wrote in his October column.

“This is about the greater good. Please, old friend, do the right thing for Ward 2 and the District and bow out.”

Evans’s resignation announcement this week creates a new wrinkle in the campaigns of six candidates, including gay Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner John Fanning, who last year entered the race for Evans’s seat in the city’s June 2, 2020 Democratic primary. All six candidates have expressed strong support for LGBTQ rights.

LaDawne White, a spokesperson for the D.C. Board of Elections, told the Blade on Tuesday that the board was scheduled to meet on Jan. 8 to discuss the scheduling of a special election to fill the Ward 2 Council seat following Evans’s resignation. White noted that the winner of the regularly scheduled Ward 2 election in November would not take office until next January, thus a special election is needed to fill the seat until that time.

Most if not all of the six candidates running in the June primary were expected to run in a special election that was expected once it became known that the Council was about to expel Evans if he did not resign.

In addition to Fanning, the candidates running in the Democratic primary include Foggy Bottom Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Patrick Kennedy and community activists Jordan Grossman, Daniel Hernandez, Kishan Putta, and Yilin Zhang.

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JA N UA RY 1 0 , 2020 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 11

Klobuchar’s votes for Trump judges include one with anti-LGBTQ record Stras derided gay rights, school integration as ‘social policy’

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com Sen. Amy Klobuchar is facing scrutiny on the campaign trail for voting to confirm many of President Trump’s judicial nominees — and a closer look at that record reveals she backed one pick who once derided as “social policy” not only LGBTQ rights and abortion, but also school integration.

With weeks remaining before the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3, Klobuchar’s vote to confirm David Ryan Stras to the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals could dissuade supporters of LGBTQ rights and other progressives from supporting her in the Democratic presidential primary.

Although Stras hasn’t been as viciously anti-LGBTQ as some of Trump’s other picks, his past is troubling to LGBTQ advocates. As a law professor, Stras in a 2008 legal essay was condescending toward judges’ “ventures” into LGBTQ rights, abortion and school integration.

“The court’s own ventures into contentious areas of social policy — such as school integration, abortion, and homosexual rights — have raised the stakes of confirmation battles even higher,” Stras wrote.

Additionally, as a Minnesota Supreme Court justice, Stras in 2012 joined an opinion allowing an anti-gay marriage amendment to come intact to the ballot with a title obscuring its purpose and effect. Minnesota voters ended up rejecting the amendment anyway.

Along with Sen. Doug Wilson (Ala.), Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) Sen. Mark Warner (Va.), former Sen. Heidi Heithkamp (N.D.) and former Sen. Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Klobuchar was among seven Democrats who joined Republicans in voting for Stras. The vote in January 2018 was otherwise along party lines, 56-42.

Ironically, Klobuchar voted for Stras even though she wasn’t consulted on the judicial pick, which was a customary part of the confirmation process before the Trump era, and recommended other choices for the judicial seat.

Carlie Waibel, national press secretary for the Klobuchar campaign, put distance between Klobuchar and Stras in response to a Washington Blade inquiry on whether the Democratic

Sen. AMY KLOBUCHAR has been criticized for a vote to confirm a Trump nominee with an anti-LGBTQ record.

Blade file photo by Michael Key

hopeful stands by her vote.

“Of course Sen. Klobuchar disagrees with his comments, just as she will not agree with every one of his opinions,” Waibel said. “She has made clear that Judge Stras was not the judge that she would ever recommend to the White House. In fact, she recommended other candidates.”

Waibel also defended the senator’s vote for Stras by saying he was better than other picks Trump might have offered.

“Her vote was based on the reality that given the choices, on balance she thought he was better than the other candidates who would have been nominated from other states,” the spokesperson said. “Judge Stras was recommended by liberal Justice Alan Page, who Sen. Klobuchar has great respect for, and in the vast majority of cases on the Minnesota Supreme Court Judge Stras sided with the majority, which included several Democraticappointed justices.”

Klobuchar’s vote for Stras was one of many in favor of judicial nominees

by Trump, who set records with judicial confirmations in ways that will likely affect the courts for generations to come.

According to an April 2019 article in ThinkProgress, Klobuchar voted for more

than 56 percent of his judicial picks two years into his presidency. According to the Klobuchar campaign, the percentage since that time has dropped to just 33 percent.

Meanwhile, other Democratic senators who have run for president this cycle, such as Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand, had a knee-jerk opposition to all of them.

Klobuchar cast a vote for Stras even though he was opposed by civil rights and progressive groups, who pointed to his statements and actions as a law professor and Minnesota Supreme Court justice. Among the groups that opposed him were Lambda Legal, People for the American Way and Alliance for Justice.

In a letter dated Jan. 29, 2018 urging senators to vote “no” on confirmation, Lambda Legal Chief Strategy Officer Sharon McGowan wrote Stras’s record “raises serious concerns about his willingness to adhere to the Supreme Court’s landmark LGBT rights decisions.”

“His vision of the role of the courts as a nefarious force that seeks to block the will of the majority sends a dangerous message to vulnerable minorities that their constitutional rights are not guaranteed,” McGowan wrote. “Justice Stras’ failure to appreciate the important role that an independent judiciary plays in our constitutional democracy causes communities like ours grave concern.”

In a 2008 essay titled “Understanding the New Politics of Judicial Appointments,” Stras wrote intensified media scrutiny and organized interest groups have politicized the judicial confirmation process, which he said made lawmakers act “with a keen eye toward pleasing constituent groups and maintaining a consistent policy image.”

As an example of attempts at “pleasing constituent groups,” Stras pointed to judicial rulings on LGBTQ rights, abortion and school integration, suggesting either the decisions were best left to the political process or the courts got it wrong.

Although the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade is the case most cited in the article, Stras also draws on the 2003 decision in Lawrence v. Texas, noting

with a tinge of skepticism the court “struck down a Texas ban on homosexual sodomy because, according to the court, the state law violated privacy rights.”

Anthony Kreis, visiting assistant professor of law for the Chicago-Kent College of Law, told the Blade comments deriding LGBTQ rights as “social policy” are off-base.

“The problem with the notion of LGBTQ rights as being ‘social policy,’ is that viewpoint indicates that the Constitution’s protections do not sweep broadly enough to protect sexual minorities,” Kreis said. “In other words, LGBTQ people are at the mercy of legislatures to do right by them — and so then courts aren’t reliable actors to combat homophobia and transphobia.”

In written responses to questions from the Senate on his 2008 writing, Stras when asked about school integration acknowledged the Supreme Court applied the Fourteenth Amendment to desegregate schools in Brown v. Board of Education, which he said “overruled the Supreme Court’s detestable decision in Plessy v. Ferguson.”

“When I wrote the referenced book review essay, I did so as a law professor, not as a judge,” Stras added. “I was describing the factors that have increased political polarization surrounding the judicial nomination process over the past several decades.”

Asked whether the U.S. Constitution provides a textual basis for rights to contraception, women’s access to abortion and same-sex marriage, Stras acknowledged the Supreme Court’s rulings in favor of abortion rights and marriage equality, saying he’d “follow all binding precedent, including each of these precedents” on the Eighth Circuit.

Four years later, when Stras was a justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court, he joined an opinion that prevented the Minnesota secretary of state from changing the ballot title on a proposed anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment from “Recognition of Marriage Solely Between One Man and One Woman” to “Limited the Status of Marriage to Opposite Sex Couples.”

CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

12 • WA S HI N GTONB L A DE . CO M • JAN UARY 1 0 , 2 0 2 0 • N AT IO N AL N EWS

New Kameny book cover mimics 1950 report calling gays ‘perverts’

The author of an upcoming book on gay rights pioneer Frank Kameny’s groundbreaking work beginning in the late 1950s in fighting the federal government’s discrimination against gay people has given the Blade an advance look at the book’s unique cover.

Entitled “The Deviant’s War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America,” the book’s cover partially replicates the cover of a sensational 1950 U.S. Senate report on homosexuals in federal employment that is credited with triggering widespread purges of gay federal workers over the next 30 years.

The book’s author, gay historian and Harvard and Cambridge University trained scholar Eric Cervini, spent six years researching Kameny’s work from the time he was fired from his federal job as a civilian astronomer for the U.S. Army Map Service in 1957 and his role as co-founder and leader of the Mattachine Society of Washington, D.C.’s first significant gay rights group.

The book, which Cervini describes as a history of Kameny’s unique and innovative work in advocating for LGBTQ rights, ends in 1971 when the D.C. Mattachine Society was replaced by the then-D.C. Gay Activists Alliance, for which Kameny also played an active role.

A statement released by the book’s publisher, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, says the book is scheduled to be released on June 2, just prior to the 50th anniversary of the world’s first LGBTQ Pride celebration in New York.

“Based on fifty thousand pages of firsthand accounts, recently declassified FBI records, and personal documents, The Deviant’s War unfolds over the course of the 1960s, as the Mattachine Society of Washington – the group Kameny [co] founded – became the first organization to protest the systematic persecution of gay federal employees,” the statement says.

“It is a story of America at a cultural and sexual crossroads; of shocking, byzantine public battles with Congress; of FBI informants; murder; betrayal; sex; love – and ultimate victory,” the statement says.

It points out that the book’s black and pink cover is modeled after the 1950 U.S. Senate report, “Employment of Homosexuals and Other Sex Perverts in Government.”

Kameny was among those ensnared in the gay purges that the Senate report is reported to have triggered when he was fired from his civilian federal job in 1957 for being gay.

The publisher’s statement notes that unlike so many others at the time, Kameny fought back by contesting his firing before the then-U.S. Civil Service Commission and through the courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, all of which turned down his appeal for a reversal of his firing. His Supreme Court brief, which Kameny himself wrote, marked the first known time a gay person challenged anti-LGBTQ bias before the high court and became a model for future efforts to contest anti-LGBTQ discrimination.

“By tracking Kameny’s story alongside the movements for African Americans, lesbian, and trans rights, the book also shows how LGBTQ+ Americans are, in the end, a family of the persecuted – a minority that must continue fighting for the most marginalized of its members,” Cervini said in the statement.

Cervini said a major source for his book was Kameny’s papers, which Kameny donated to the Library of Congress in Washington. He said he also traveled across the country tracking down other documents and to “place Kameny’s story in dialogue with America in the 1960s, a decade before the Stonewall Riots.”

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

N AT I O NAL NE WS • JA NUA RY 10, 2020 • WA SHINGTON BL A DE . COM • 13

Methodist Church plans to split over LGBTQ acceptance The United Methodist Church, which has struggled for years with LGBTQ acceptance, announced a plan for a split in which parishes that oppose same-sex marriage will leave the denomination, but pave the way for LGBTQ inclusion among the remaining congregations.

The new plan, announced last month, was hailed by both church leaders seeking to overturn the Methodist Church’s bans on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage as well as other congregations seeking to go their own way over opposition to LGBTQ inclusion.

A 16-member group of Methodist bishops outlined the plan in a ninepage “Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation.” Under the proposal, churches that separate would get $25 million in funds from the denomination over the course of four years and be allowed to keep their local church properties.

New York Conference Bishop Thomas Bickerton, one of 16 bishops that negotiated and signed the proposal, said in a statement the contentious nature of LGBTQ inclusion within the church demonstrated the need for a plan for amicable separation.

“It became clear that the line in the sand had turned into a canyon,” Bickerton said. “The impasse is such that we have come to the realization that we just can’t stay that way any longer.”

Bickerton praised the plan as “a pathway that acknowledges our differences, respects everyone in the process and graciously allows us to continue to live out the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, albeit in different expressions.”

The Methodist Church, which has an estimated 9 million adherents in the United States and 13 million worldwide, announced the plan nearly a year after the United Methodist General Conference in St. Louis approved a “Traditional Plan”

that not only reaffirmed its existing ban on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage, but called for greater enforcement.

Although U.S. delegates at the conference overwhelmingly voted “no,” the proposal succeeded as a result of an alliance of conservatives from both the United States and abroad. An estimated 43 percent of the delegates are from overseas and overwhelmingly supported the anti-LGBTQQ policy.

CHRIS JOHNSON

Gavin Grimm joins ACLU board A transgender man who challenged his Virginia school district’s bathroom policy has been elected to the American Civil Liberties Union’s board of directors.

Gavin Grimm on Jan. 3 in a tweet said he has been elected to the board for a one-year term.

“I am elated, and I will work hard to do this position justice,” said Grimm. “Thank you to the ACLU and to everyone who has supported me through my fight.”

Grimm was a sophomore at Gloucester County High School in 2015 when he filed a federal lawsuit against the Gloucester County School Board’s policy that prohibited students from using bathrooms and locker rooms that did not correspond with their “biological gender.”

The U.S. Supreme Court was scheduled to hear oral arguments in the case in 2017, but the justices remanded it to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond after the Trump administration rescinded guidance to public schools that said Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 requires them to allow trans students to use restrooms based on their gender identity.

A federal judge in Norfolk last August ruled the district discriminated against Grimm when it implemented its bathroom policy. The district has appealed the ruling.

The ACLU represented Grimm in his case.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Nicaraguan LGBTQ activist tortured after arrest A well-known LGBTQ activist in Nicaragua who was arrested last September says he was tortured while in custody.

Ulises Rivas on Monday said members of Nicaragua’s National Police on Sept. 1, 2019, arrived at his niece’s volleyball game in Comalapa, a town in the country’s Chontales department that is roughly 75 miles east of the Nicaraguan capital of Managua, and arrested him because “they had an arrest warrant.”

A source with whom the Blade spoke after Rivas’s arrest said he had been accused of robbing a woman. Rivas sent the Blade a screenshot of a message posted to a pro-government Facebook group that said he has also been accused of “inciting violence, destabilizing the peace” of his neighborhood and “hiding under the false flag of protectors of the environment.”

Rivas told the Blade during an emotional WhatsApp interview from his home in Santo Domingo, a town in Chontales department, the police brought him to the departmental capital of Juigalpa and placed him in a cell.

ULISES RIVAS faces a court appearance later this “I was not able to receive anything from my family, nor a visit or food,” month and could be returned to prison.

Photo courtesy of Rivas said Rivas. “I was hungry all night.”

Rivas said officers the next morning took him to a local jail, and put him into what he described as a “punishment cell.” Rivas told the Blade he was forced to stand inside a cell for four hours with his hands in the air. He also said he suffered physical, “cultural and psychological torture.”

“I was bleeding and my entire body had been beaten and tortured,” said Rivas.

“I didn’t think that I would return to see my family,” he added. “I have tears in my eyes from everything they did to me.”

Rivas told the Blade he was forced to strip naked when his family arrived at the jail to visit him. Rivas also said authorities forced him to show his buttocks and made him do 10 squats.

Rivas said he spent 25 days in the cell before authorities transferred him to a prison within a larger penitentiary complex and placed him into another “punishment cell.”

“There was no bed, there were no mattresses, there were no hammocks,” said Rivas. “There was nothing on the floor.”

Rivas told the Blade there was a hole in the floor into which he and his other cellmate could defecate. Rivas also said they had access to water for only 20 minutes a day.

“You could hear cries, the cries of common prisoners when they were beaten,” said Rivas.

Rivas told the Blade there was also no access to medical care. He said the psychologists who worked at the prison were “from the government.”

“The first thing that they ask you is whether you want to kill yourself,” he said.

Hundreds of people have been killed in Nicaragua since protests against the government of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, began in April 2018 in response to proposed cuts to the country’s social security benefits and the response to a wildfire at the Indio Maíz Biological Reserve on Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast.

Rivas before he fled to Costa Rica protested against a gold mine in his hometown that B2Gold, a Canadian company, owns.

He helped create Asociación Hijos del Arco Iris LGBTI, a group in Costa Rica that helps other LGBTQ Nicaraguans in exile.

Rivas returned to Nicaragua in June 2019 in order to take care of his father who later died of cancer.

“I saw him die in the hospital,” Rivas told the Blade. “I was caring for him.”

Rivas said he then returned to his hometown for his father’s funeral.

“Afterwards they saw me and captured me because they had already seen that I was in Nicaragua,” he said.

Rivas spoke with the Blade less than two weeks after the Nicaraguan government released him and 90 other political prisoners.

Rivas noted Waldemar Sommertag, the papal nuncio in Nicaragua, and the International Committee of the Red Cross played a role in the prisoners’ release, along with pressure from the international community. Rivas said his neighbors continue to protect him, even though he remains under house arrest and government surveillance.

“My neighborhood loves me,” he told the Blade.

Rivas said he does not know what to expect during his next court appearance that is scheduled to take place on Jan. 15.

The screenshot of the Facebook page that Rivas sent to the Blade says he could be sent to El Chipote, a notorious Managua prison in which Ortega himself was once a prisoner, “for about 10 or 20 years without the right to freedom, under the accusation of terrorism and threats to people.” Rivas nevertheless remains defiant.

“Nicaragua is made of vigor and glory,” he said. “Nicaragua is made for freedom.”

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Belize court upholds ruling that struck down sodomy law Belize’s Court of Appeal has upheld a ruling that said the country’s colonial-era sodomy law is unconstitutional.

Belize Supreme Court Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin in 2016 issued his ruling in a case against Section 53 of the country’s Criminal Code that Caleb Orozco, a prominent LGBTQ activist in the Central American country, brought.

The Belizean government challenged portions of Benjamin’s ruling, but the Court of Appeal on Dec. 30 upheld it.

“I have proven as a citizen that our fundamental rights have value and can be upheld by our courts, and that any alienated section of society can stand on principle and can go to court and use the fundamental rights to ensure that the state leaves no one behind,” said Orozco in a statement after the Court of Appeal issued its ruling.

“Today is a renewal of hope in the substance of the chief justice’s decision in 2016, which still stands,” added Orozco.

OutRight Action International Deputy Executive Director Maria Sjödin on Friday noted to the Blade the Belize Supreme Court is the first court in the English-speaking Caribbean to strike down a colonial-era sodomy law.

Activists throughout the region have said Orozco’s case continues to resonate in their countries.

LGBTQ people in Jamaica, Dominica, Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines in recent years have challenged their respective countries’ sodomy laws in court. The government of Trinidad and Tobago has appealed a 2018 ruling that declared the country’s sodomy law unconstitutional.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights last fall held a hearing in D.C. that focused on challenges to Jamaica’s sodomy law.

The three LGBTQ Barbadians who have challenged their country’s colonialera statute brought their case to the commission. A decision in their favor could have sweeping implications throughout the Caribbean, especially in countries that continue to criminalize consensual same-sex relations.

“We urge authorities in Belize to embrace and fully implement the ruling, and to work with civil society to promote genuine equality for its LGBTIQ inhabitants,” Sjödin told the Blade.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

14 • WA S HI N GTONB L A DE . COM • JAN UARY 1 0 , 2 0 2 0 • IN T ER N AT IO N AL N EW S

JA N UA RY 1 0 , 2020 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 15

Keep your promise to protect each other.

CANNABIS CULTURE House committee advances marijuana bill The House Small Business Committee is waiving jurisdiction over the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act (HR 3884), making it the second House committee in the 116th Congress to advance legislation to end federal marijuana prohibition.

“With this action, the MORE Act is one step closer to becoming the first bill to end cannabis prohibition to pass the House of Representatives,” said NORML Political Director Justin Strekal. “Never have we been closer to ending federal marijuana criminalization. Thanks to the work of the Small Business Committee and Chairwoman Velazquez, the emerging legal cannabis industry will ultimately become more inclusive to small businesses and entrepreneurs.”

The MORE Act would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act and incentivize states to facilitate the expungement of criminal records related to low-level marijuana offenses, among other changes. The bill passed in the Judiciary Committee on November 20th with a bipartisan vote of 24 to 10.

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Youth survey shows little change in cannabis use

Lawrence S. Jacobs/McMillan Metro, PC

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Annual survey data finds that self-reported marijuana use by young people has remained stable since 2012 when the first two states enacted adultuse cannabis legalization.

According to the Monitoring the Future report published in 2019, the percentage of young people reporting lifetime cannabis use, annual use, and use within the past 30 days has changed little since 2012 and remains well below 1999 levels. However, among those adolescents who report using cannabis, a greater percentage than ever before are vaping it.

Teens’ self-reported use of alcohol and several other controlled substances continues to be at record or near-record lows.

By contrast, the percentage of 8th and 10th graders nationwide reporting having consumed cannabis daily has risen since 2012, particularly among 10th graders.

In July, an assessment of data compiled by the Youth Behavior Risk Survey reported that there has been an overall decline in self-reported marijuana use by young people residing in states that have regulated the substance for either medical or recreational purposes.

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CORVALLIS, Ore. — The enactment of adult-use cannabis access laws is associated with decreasing rates of binge drinking by college students ages 21 or older, according to data published in the journal Addictive Behaviors.

Researchers affiliated with Oregon State University compared self-reported drug and A D V E R T Ialcohol S I N GuseP among ROOF nearly one million college students over ten years (2008 to 2018). They reported that binge drinking prevalence among those between the ages of 21 and 26 fell by ten percent in jurisdictions where adult-use cannabis access was regulated as compared to other states. Investigators reported no increase in the use of any controlled substances other than marijuana, except for the use of sedatives by those under the age of 21.

Authors concluded: “[F]or students ages 21 years and over, binge drinking decreased following RML (recreational marijuana legalization). ... We speculate that legalizing recreational ADVERTISER SIGNATURE By signing this proof you are agreeing to your contractuse obligations with the marijuana may temper this [increased alcohol use by minors after they reach the legal washington blade newspaper. This includes but is not limited to placement, payment and insertion schedule. drinking age] effect, such that college students over the age of 21 who otherwise would have engaged in binge drinking continue using marijuana instead. ... [A] substitution effect of RML on college students’ binge drinking could have important public health implications.”

Cannabis Culture news in the Blade is provided in partnership with NORML. Visit norml.org for more information.

16 • WA S HI N GTON B LAD E.CO M • JAN UARY 1 0 , 2 0 2 0 • H EALT H

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JA N UA RY 1 0 , 2020 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 17

PrEP is prickly topic among coupled gays NEW YORK — Both relationship-specific and structural factors influence whether coupled gay men living in New York City choose to use pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP/PEP) for HIV prevention.

Some men (particularly those in monogamous relationships) felt that discussing PrEP and PEP in the context of a relationship could threaten the relationship by raising issues of trust, while others felt that it had the potential to enhance sexual health and satisfaction, AIDSmap reports.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 gay male couples in New York City in 2017 regarding barriers and facilitators around PrEP and PEP use within the context of their relationships. Each couple was interviewed together, AIDSmap reports.

As part of the recruitment criteria, all couples included at least one partner aged 18-29; at least one HIV-negative partner (in fact only one couple included a partner with diagnosed HIV); and at least one partner who reported recent drug use. Five interviewees were on PrEP at the time of the interview, AIDSmap reports.

In terms of sexual agreements, 30 percent said they had a monogamous relationship, 30 percent a non-monogamous relationship, and 40 percent had an agreement that sex with outside partners was only permitted when both members of the couple were present. In nine of 10 couples, both members agreed about whether they were monogamous or non-monogamous.

The average duration of relationships was approximately two years, AIDSmap reports.

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Trans surgery clears hurdle in Illinois CHICAGO — Advocates across Illinois celebrated the final rule that regulates Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming surgery, the Windy City Times reports citing a Howard Brown press release.

The final rule prioritizes the patient-provider relationship, allowing Medicaid to cover lifesaving, medically necessary procedures for trans and gender non-conforming people.

A proposed rule by the state’s Medicaid agency, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, was first released last summer. That proposed rule passed the final step in the Illinois rulemaking process that was published Jan. 3 said rule is being put into effect retroactively for Dec. 23, 2019. This codification takes place after the updated regulation cleared the last hurdle of approval from the State’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, the Times reports citing a press release.

Parental support of LGB teens down in Canada QUEBEC, Canada — Parents of LGB teens are reported being less supportive of their children than they were 20 years ago, according to a new study published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies. The same study shows that concurrently, perceived parental support has increased for straight teens, The Suburban (a weekly Quebec newspaper) reports.

The authors of the paper contrast this with a general mellowing of mainstream attitudes toward formerly divisive issues such as gay marriage over the same time period.

Researchers looked at the unusually large data set gathered from the quinquennial British Columbia Adolescent Health Survey, administered in 1998, 2003, 2008 and 2013. These four waves of responses gave them data from nearly 100,000 BC adolescents. The McCreary Centre Society, a non-governmental, non-profit youth health organization, conducts the anonymous survey of BC high school students every five years, the Suburban reports.

The authors write that “heterosexual boys and girls reported more family connectedness and mother/father support across all four survey years in general, and there were many instances where bisexual, gay and lesbian youth reported lower levels of family connectedness and mother/ father support.”

The study notes declines in perceived support from both parents of sexual minority teens, though the drop was sharper among fathers, the Suburban reports.

Sexual minority teens did report higher levels of family connectedness in 2013, although they were significantly lower compared to their heterosexual peers.

Rose speculates there are several dynamics at play behind these findings.

First, she says that as societal norms around sexual minorities have eased, more young people are finding it easier to come out at younger ages, sometimes even before they have reached puberty, the Suburban reports.

Another may be a backlash against the changing of those same societal norms. As gay marriage became a frequent topic of political conversation, Rose wonders if it led to less tolerance toward sexual minorities in the home, the article said.

18 • WA S HI N GTON B LAD E.CO M • JAN UARY 1 0 , 2 0 2 0 • H EALT H

VI E W PO I NT • JANUARY 10, 2020 • WA SHINGTONB L A DE . COM • 19

RICHARD J. ROSENDALL

Tyler Gregory

is executive director of A Wider Bridge

is a writer and activist. Reach him at rrosendall@starpower. net.

Rising anti-Semitism: Donnie’s deadly distraction 4 lessons for LGBTQ Americans from impeachment Our shared future depends on action once more

By TYLER GREGORY Seventy-five years after the liberation of Auschwitz, deadly attacks on Jewish homes, businesses, and places of worship are rocking America, from San Diego to Pittsburgh, and from Jersey City to Monsey.

Yet anti-Semitism isn’t just a clear and present danger for Jews: for millennia it has been a symptom of societies breaking down into dangerous forms of tribalism. At its root, this fight is just as much about holding up America as a pluralistic and democratic society for all – something every LGBTQ American must concern themselves with to protect and advance our rights.

Below are four important lessons we as an LGBTQ movement must learn to become effective advocates and partners in the fight against anti-Semitism.

• Jewish identity is a unique construct.

Jewish identity is uniquely difficult to explain, and easy to exploit. Its complexity explains both our unique vulnerability and durability over millennia. Depending on the Jew, we are any combination of a nation, a people, a faith, a shared history, a culture, and a tradition.

No two Jews share the exact same list of Jewish attributes in the same ranking of importance. Prescribing one such description of Jewish identity to the Jewish experience as a whole is as tokenizing as a straight person prescribing what it means “to be a good queer.”

• Anti-Semitism is also a unique construct.

Unlike other forms of discrimination, anti-Semitism manifests against Jews irrespective of privilege and status. The myth of Jewish wealth and elite status is centuries-old and continues to show up today, everywhere from hook-up apps like Grindr to attacks on Jews being “all about the Benjamins.” Assigning Jews with artificial privilege is dangerous to all Jews, both those with financial means and those who lack it.

White-passing Jews enjoy certain privileges – so long as they hide their stars of

David from spaces like select Dyke Marches, and take off their Kippah (skull cap) on places like the Metro. Jews of Color face the additional challenge of quite often having to prove their Jewish identity to non-Jews (and sadly to many Ashkenazi Jews) simply because they don’t “look Jewish,” which in and of itself is a highly problematic construct.

• Zionism is for Jews to define. The term “queer,” once a derogatory term thrown at our community, is today an empowered identity for many. Others continue to reject it, uncomfortable with its history. How we accept or reject queer identity as LGBTQ people is for each one of us to decide – not outsiders.

The same is true for “Zionism,” the movement to re-establish an indigenous Jewish homeland. For far too long, “Zionism” has become a litmus test in LGBTQ circles and far beyond to divide “good Jews” from “bad Jews.”

Anti-Zionism, effectively the elimination of the Jewish state, would render Jews powerless orphans to an unstable world once again. Denying Jews our attachment to Israel for any reason isn’t just anti-Israel – it makes Jews feel unsafe. We as LGBTQ Americans know how it feels to be powerless.

• Anti-Semitism is not a partisan issue.

Anti-Semitism is a systemic problem to be confronted everywhere. Too many left-wing Americans are content to rightly call out white nationalism, but cannot take up the work of uprooting cancerous anti-Semitism in progressive ranks. And too many rightwing Americans are rightly content to call out select anti-Zionist leaders in the Women’s March and Black Lives Matter (leaders who do not represent their movements), but fail to condemn the alt-right stirring up anti-Semitic memes online. We must have the courage to address and remove these biases from our own side of the aisle.

In the words of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov that inspired the name A Wider Bridge: “The whole world is a narrow bridge, and the most important part is not to be afraid.”

On behalf of A Wider Bridge, we invite you to join us in this urgently needed fight against hate. ACT-UP taught us that “Silence=Death.”

Our shared future depends on action once more.

“I can assure you that Americans in the region are much safer today,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gamely ventured after the assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassim Suleimani by a drone strike, even as his department advised Americans to leave Iraq.

Trump’s assertion that he killed Suleimani “to stop a war” is his latest whopper. His reckless and illegal action is the greatest escalation in 40 years. He subsequently threatened to hit 52 Iranian targets if that country retaliates, invoking the 52 Americans taken hostage by Iran in 1979. They were released on Inauguration Day in 1981.

One can hardly believe that he timed his belligerence for any reason other than to distract from his impeachment. He has a lot to distract from, given the stream of new evidence emerging against him. Determining his state of mind requires no speculation, only a check of his Twitter feed, filled as it is with retweets of fanatics and fools. His lethal sandbox does not cultivate thoughtfulness.

Trump threatened to hit Iranian cultural sites, which is a war crime. Former ambassador Michael McFaul tweeted, “ISIS targets cultural sites. The Taliban destroys cultural sites. The United States of America should not join this list.”

America’s allies distanced themselves from Trump’s decision. Iraqi lawmakers passed a resolution calling for American forces to leave Iraq. Iran suspended its 2015 nuclear deal commitments. Vice President Mike Pence linked Suleimani to 9/11, contradicting the 9/11 Commission Report.

The New York Times reported, “Top Pentagon officials were stunned” that Trump chose the most extreme option in response to Iran fomenting Iraqi violence. Have they been asleep for three years? This is a president who wanted to nuke hurricanes. Previous presidents avoided targeting Suleimani because of the likely consequences.

Trump thinks he is immune from consequences. His enablers brand his critics anti-American and pro-terrorist, employing logic similar to Benjamin Netanyahu’s when he cries anti-Semitism over the International Criminal Court’s planned investigation of him for war crimes. No Americans mourn Suleimani, but his villainy was not a recent development, and he was not a non-state

actor like Osama bin Laden.

To expect Iran to stand down after such a provocation is a triumph of wishful thinking.

Trump’s lack of a credible basis for claiming an imminent threat was underscored by his decision to classify his entire belated notification of Congress. We are left to conclude that he took us to the brink of a conflagration purely to assuage his manhood and change the headlines.

No one can be surprised by recklessness from a president bereft of forethought or strategy. But we have more to do than pull him away from the precipice of another ruinous war. We must take back our Mideast policy, to the extent we have one, from his right-wing Evangelical base whose vaunted support of Israel is driven by visions of the Apocalypse even as they declare that Jews who refuse to convert to Christianity are hell-bound.

We cannot extricate ourselves from Middle Eastern wars by starting a new one.

Iran is led by awful people, but the drone strike Trump ordered has thrown the young Iranians who were protesting against them right back into their arms.

Saying Suleimani “had it coming” is not good enough. The world has plenty of awful people in it (including, incidentally, our president who wreaks havoc while the world’s best security force shields him from the blowback). Most are not targeted for assassination. He might show up at Dover Air Force Base when our service members’ coffins start arriving, but only for the photo op.

If we want adult leaders who pursue justice rather than power at any cost, we must keep our eyes on November and resist the disinformation campaign already underway.

The problem is not only what groupblaming war rhetoric does to our targets, but what it does to us. The more heedless our imperialistic swagger becomes, the more we hobble ourselves and the ghastlier our grandchildren’s inheritance. We’ve been staring into the abyss so often of late, we should ask what it wants on its pizza. “Oh, nothing for me,” it’ll answer cheerfully. “I’ll have you soon enough.”

Copyright © 2020 by Richard J. Rosendall.

All rights reserved.

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JA N UA RY 1 0 , 2020 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 21

PETER ROSENSTEIN

BROCK THOMPSON

is a D.C.-based LGBT rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.

is a D.C.-based writer.

He contributes regularly to the Blade.

Trump may have blundered us into war

Gay Key West: body positive on the Southernmost point

Dire consequences likely to follow this reckless course

Rediscovering the bliss of queer-identified spaces

We are in precarious times with a president who is uninformed and unwilling to learn. He could have just blundered us into a war. I favor a robust American foreign policy with the United States assuming its fair share of responsibility for protecting our interests and those of our allies. We must defend human rights and speak out for decent people around the world. There are times we must intervene in a foreign crisis.

What we cannot abide is a president who is so reckless as to act without any idea of what the consequences could be and no knowledgeable advisers he listens to who can help him navigate what is to come from his recklessness. The first result came on Sunday when the Iraqi Parliament passed “legislation that threads a fine needle: While using strong language demanding that the government ‘end any foreign presence on Iraqi soil and prevent the use of Iraqi airspace, soil and water for any reason’ by foreign forces, it gives no timetable for doing so.” Then Iran announced it would no longer stick to the uranium enrichment restrictions of the 2015 nuclear deal.

Democratic primary candidates are divided on how to respond to Trump’s killing of Soleimani and divided on how to conduct a robust foreign policy.

While I haven’t endorsed a candidate for president, the Democrat whose statement made the most sense to me after Trump ordered the killing came from Joe Biden. He said, “No American will mourn Qassem Soleimani’s passing.

He deserved to be brought to justice for his crimes against American troops and thousands of innocents throughout the region. … President Trump just tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox and he owes the American people an explanation of the strategy and plan to keep safe our troops and embassy personnel, our people and our interests, both here at

home and abroad. … We could be on the brink of a major conflict across the Middle East. I hope the administration has thought through the second- and thirdorder consequences of the path they have chosen.”

Some have tried to compare Trump’s foray into Iraq and killing Soleimani with President Clinton’s foray into Iraq in 1998.

Republicans at the time said Clinton was doing it to delay impeachment proceedings against him. Trump tweeted in November 2011 that Obama was contemplating attacking Irar to win reelection. The 1998 bombing of Iraq (code-named Operation Desert Fox) was a major four-day bombing campaign on Iraqi targets. It lasted from Dec. 16-19 and while it may have delayed impeachment by a day or two, Clinton was impeached on Dec. 19, 1998. Trump is presumably aware of that. One major difference behind the actions of Presidents Clinton and Trump is that in Desert Fox one of our major allies, Britain, participated with us in the bombing; we did not go it all alone.

The reason given at the time and accepted by many was Iraq didn’t comply with United Nations resolutions and interfered with United Nations Special Commission inspectors. Today, Trump has yet to detail what immediate threat Soleimani posed.

The world has changed since 1998 and it is notable why Trump is clearly having the U.S. go this route alone. He is fighting with all our allies and has been attacking NATO and recently abandoned our allies the Kurds. Instead he has lavished praise on our enemies including dictators in North Korea and Russia. Frightening are recent reports that “China, Russia and Iran began a four-day joint military exercise in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman on Friday amid ongoing friction in the economically important region between Tehran and Washington.”

We are seeing Trump’s foreign policy lead to the rise of China and Russia as superpowers with much more influence in the Middle East than the United States.

That could lead to dire consequences as yet unknown.

Yes, it’s that time of the year — resolutions abound. Social media is full of them. And I guess you could call this column one of those. As for last year, my resolutions were pretty simple, more solo travel and to be more body positive. So, in keeping with that, last weekend I went down to Key West to enjoy myself with just shy of 20 other gay Washingtonians at one of the island’s male-only resorts.

Clearly I didn’t achieve the solo part, we travel in packs, but the resort was clothing optional. So, you couldn’t help but to be more body positive.

Key West is only so big, being an island and all. But it has a pretty vibrant gay population and the bars and such to go along with it. Meeting gay men from as far away as Finland, the island has certainly secured a spot among what I’m calling the big three American gay getaways — Provincetown, Mass.; Fire Island, N.Y.; and Key West. And before I get harassed via twitter by gay civic groups in those particular places, I’ll just say that list is in no particular order.

Though of course thoroughly modern and comfortable, the whole place reminded me of those old school queer havens that before the Internet made up a rather remarkable queer cultural exchange network. I know it’s hard to imagine a time before the Internet, but how gay men shared news, history, and how they expressed themselves for each other, aside from a few gay magazines of the time, these places carried great importance for our community.

Aside from all that — Fire Island, or Provincetown, and I guess even in some ways San Francisco — I’ve always found it endlessly fascinating that queer people are attracted to the these end-of-the-

earth type places, literally the last step before you fall into the ocean.

Key West itself boasts a large monument, not looking unlike a plug of some sort, marking the southern most point in the United States. Tourists line up to take pictures with it. But again, with these lands-end type places, the places on the margin have always protected the marginalized; they’ve all been a haven for artists, musicians, and just those who sought somewhere else. These places offer a certain security, a snugness of sorts, a general feeling of knowing you are now the majority, having something in common with everyone around you.

Sort of why we’re drawn to gay bars in the first place. All these places have colorful queer pasts. Did you know Key West was one of the first American cities to elect an openly gay man as mayor, doing so in 1983?

As for me, I found familiar faces and good times in Bourbon Street Pub. You know, where they lower the drag queen in the giant glittery high heel on New Year’s Eve. I had many a frozen drink in the infamous Island House and caught up with D.C. boys I’ve known for over a decade. In these “post-AIDS” years, I think gay men are finding out again just how precious long-term friendships are.

As far as my 2019 goal of being more body positive, Key West was, of course, great for all that. And I’m not saying if you can’t be more body positive around a bunch of 70-year-old British men, where can you be? I am saying something like this, the confidence and encouragement these places give off can’t be understated.

The freedom, the snugness and security, that all could certainly be exported around the country.

All I know is 2020 and beyond for me will see more confidence in D.C. and certainly in places like Key West.

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JA N UA RY 1 0 , 2 0 2 0 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 23

QUEERY: David McMichael

NEW YEAR NEW YOU

The VIDA fitness instructor answers 20 queer questions

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com

What LGBTQ stereotype most annoys you?

I genuinely try not to think about what other people think about us. Their assumptions are a reflection on them, not me.

What’s your proudest professional achievement?

Because of my husband’s job, we’ve moved around a lot in the last 10 years.

When I look back at that decade, I’m incredibly proud at how many times I’ve successfully reinvented myself. I taught dance, I got a master’s degree, I worked in higher education administration, I had a full and successful professional dance career, I worked in arts administration and now I’ve found a home in the fitness industry.

What terrifies you?

Obvious, unobscurable public failure.

What’s something trashy or vapid you love?

Cartoons that are geared toward adults but are still, ya know, cartoons.

Photo by Beth Caldwell/VIDA Fitness

David McMichael is a new face at VIDA Fitness — well, kinda sorta. He’s been a member for two years but started working at the company just four months ago. He’s a “SweatBoss” teaching SweatBox (fitness studio at the U Street location) four times per week.

“VIDA is unique in its commitment to creating a welcoming environment, which can be hard to do in the fitness industry,” the 32-year-old Philadelphia native says. “I remember when I first moved to D.C., I was a little intimidated by how fit everyone was at VIDA. It’s totally understandable to feel like a novice when everyone around you seems to know exactly what they’re doing. But I quickly realized that those were my own preconceptions, and that VIDA is full of people who want you to succeed and to get stronger. VIDA taught me that you don’t have to be a fitness professional to start your fitness adventure.”

McMichael’s fitness goals for 2020 are to continue getting stronger through SweatBox and to find “new ways to venture out of my fitness comfort zone,” he says.

“Things that used to intimidate me no longer do, so it’s time to find the next challenge.”

McMichael came to Washington two-and-a-half years ago because of his husband’s job. He and David Lambert have been together for 10 years, married for seven. They live in Columbia Heights.

McMichael enjoys sofa time with his dog watching “bad TV” in his downtime.

How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?

me she already knew.

I started coming out to friends in high school, but didn’t come out to family until late in college. The hardest person to tell was my Mom, which in retrospect is odd since she’s probably the most liberal and open-minded person I know. I told her while I was driving her somewhere. It was just the two of us, and she basically told

Who’s your LGBTQ hero?

This is tough, I’ve never really thought about it! I’m always impressed by people who are “firsts,” the first person to be publicly out in their particular line of work or segment of society. Even if it’s not a public figure, it’s heroic to leap with no guarantee of a safety net to catch you.

What’s your greatest domestic skill?

Knowing where everything is in the kitchen cabinets and storage closet. It helps when you’re the one who unpacked everything!

What’s your favorite LGBTQ movie or show?

“Queer As Folk” helped me come to terms with myself and to start coming out, so I owe a lot of my identity to that show. More recently, I was reminded of my coming out story by the movie (and book) “Love, Simon.” There’s a lot of work to be done in representation on film, but that movie (for me, at least) was about as mirror-image as I’ve ever seen of my own life on the screen.

What’s your social media pet peeve?

When people post something, then repost it on their story and say “new post!” Yes, I saw it the first time.

What would the end of the LGBTQ movement look like to you?

There is no end to the LGBTQ movement. We will always need protection, we will always need defense of our rights, and we will always need to maintain those rights in the face of people trying to take them away.

What’s the most overrated social custom?

Not a custom per se, but I wish it were more socially acceptable to greet dogs directly instead of having to say hello to their people first.

What was your religion, if any, as a child and what is it today?

I was raised Jewish and still identify that way, although I’m not observant and don’t practice.

What’s D.C.’s best hidden gem?

So. Many. Amazing. Burgers! I have a top five list.

What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?

For me, I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing the first time I saw Beyonce’s music video for “Single Ladies.” I was in college at the time, as a dance major, and it was amazing to see arguably the biggest star in the world putting dance squarely in the forefront with no embellishment.

What celebrity death hit you hardest?

I’ve never really felt a deep personal connection to a celebrity, but I’ll never forget people around me reacting to the death of Princess Diana. Even though I was young, I knew that that kind of emotional response was unique and something I hadn’t seen before (and haven’t since).

If you could redo one moment from your past, what would it be?

I would have jumped into the professional dance world sooner. I don’t know why, but I always thought I wasn’t good enough to turn what had been a life-long pursuit into an actual career. I loved every second of my dance career and I only wish I had started it sooner.

What are your obsessions?

Food. I always say I can talk myself out of buying anything, except food.

Finish this sentence — It’s about damn time: … people stop assuming that people who do what they love for a living are just wasting time until they get a “real job.”

What do you wish you’d known at 18?

I wish I’d known to trust my instincts without reservation. I’ve made lots of leap-of-faith decisions, and they’ve led me somewhere I never thought I’d be doing something I’d never thought I’d do (and that’s been true multiple times in the last 10 years).

Why Washington?

We went to college here, our friends are here, our families are nearby. D.C. is the greatest city and it’s second-to-none with its LGBTQ community.

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12/23/19 2:48 PM

Tricks of the trade Local VIDA master trainer on trends, tips and technology at the gym

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com

Fitness experts say the best results from a new program start to appear 12-16 weeks into so tenacity is important. (Photo courtesy Beth Caldwell/VIDA Fitness)

career in corporate staffing to join the VIDA team in 2011. He averages between 5060 clients in mostly 30-minute sessions per week. Find out more at vidafitness.com. Free introductory classes are available this month.

The offerings are listed at vidafitness.com/ uniqueclasses.

Johnson’s comments have been slightly edited for length.

JESSE JOHNSON (Photo courtesy VIDA)

Jesse Johnson makes his living working as a master trainer at VIDA Fitness (U Street location) but he agreed to share some of his tips and advice with us for free.

The U Street location is one of five of the gay-owned chain’s D.C. locations. A sixth is slated to open this spring in Ballston (Arlington, Va.). Johnson is 33, gay and left a

WASHINGTON BLADE: How much does the coaching you give your clients vary from year to year as new studies and findings are made available? And how do you know if something is just another fitness fad vs. something we should really heed?

JESSE JOHNSON: There are always going to be fitness trends, that’s a given.

However before we alter what we tell our clients, we look to peer-reviewed literature.

One or two studies doesn’t give much evidence — that’s not enough proof. We definitely pay attention to what is trending and we try to stay as current as possible, but we don’t incorporate it until it’s been through a more rigorous review process.

NEW YEAR NEW YOU

BLADE: What trends have you seen of late?

JOHNSON: In the collective big picture, there’s been a big uptick in group training. The term that’s thrown around is fitness cocktails where somebody may do a couple classes back to back, some cardio, maybe some core body work, different muscle groups — there’s been an uptick in that. And also more of what we call functional training. People want to be pain free and strong. Sure, there’s always the aesthetic benefit of lifting weights, but what people really want is to be functionally strong into their 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s.

BLADE: Anything else?

JOHNSON: I think workouts are becoming more mindful as people use technology — apps and wearable tech to be more aware of what they’re doing. From a metric-tracking standpoint, it’s easy now to tell your heart rate, number of calories burned, number of steps taken in the course of a day with Fitbit, Myzone, the Apple watch, to the apps themselves like the Peloton apps are pretty innovative and help people be more aware of what they’re doing, how frequently.

There’s more mindfulness in working out.

Also people see going to the gym as more of a club or social space among millennials and Gen Z. They work out with friends, it’s seen as more social, not punishment after a weekend of drinking.

BLADE: How much does the industry really change? For instance, would you say there’s anything significantly different you’re telling your clients today vs. what you might have said when you started at VIDA nine years ago?

JOHNSON: Well, knowledge has increased dramatically and a lot of it is due to the fact that this industry didn’t even exist 40-50 years ago. People didn’t have the same needs then they do now. But a lot of the basic fundamentals are the same — keep moving, stay active, eat purposeful and do things you enjoy doing. If you enjoy doing it, it’s easier to make it a habit. I’d say we take more the sniper approach today vs. the machine gun approach. We target more instead of just spraying a bunch of bullets hoping something hits.

BLADE: So often with nutrition it seems you’ll hear one thing, then five years later the exact opposite is what experts are saying: don’t eat eggs, no eggs are good. Stuff like that. Does fitness advice change that drastically as well?

JOHNSON: Not as much. A lot of it has to do with whether people are already moving or not. We don’t take them right out

of the gate to a high level of intensity. We let them work up to it. But no, I can’t think of any particular exercise we were advising a few years ago we’re saying, “No, don’t do that one anymore” or anything like that.

BLADE: What do you do if you see people working out on their own using improper technique? Can you really hurt yourself with bad form, like lifting with your back and that kind of thing?

JOHNSON: Well we try to be as polite as possible. We’ll only approach someone if we thinkg they’re about to injure themselves.

But knock on wood, I haven’t seen very many injuries at VIDA and I like to credit that to the large staff of personal trainers we have on the floor. There is an inherent risk to working out — you can hurt yourself, but it doesn’t happen very often.

BLADE: Is it better to stay at a weight level at which you can maintain excellent form or push yourself out of your comfort zone with heavier weight even if your form suffers a little?

JOHNSON: Numerous studies have found if you take a lighter weight and do more reps but push yourself to your failure threshold vs. doing fewer reps of a heavier weight to failure, the outcome is the same. And there’s a higher risk of injury with heavier weights. We like to focus on form and technique before we progress, especially if somebody is just joining the gym and they may not know much about resistance training. You can always add weight later.

BLADE: How many of the New Years resolution folks really stick with it? Do you see many of those same faces by March or April?

JOHNSON: Almost all my new clients stay with me for months, sometimes years.

However statistically within the industry, the number is very low. The honeymoon period on average is about six weeks and it’s a shame because often you see your best results 1216 weeks into a program. You’ll see more immediate results sooner but that’s when it starts to get really spectacular.

BLADE: How bad are the wait times for machines at VIDA? Is it pretty crazy at peak time?

JOHNSON: I’m not gonna lie, the gym is very busy and there are peak times. But the U Street location is more residential and we have between 50,000-60,000 square feet of space so there’s not a lot of wait time for many of the machines. And people tend to be pretty aware. They’ll let you work in with them.

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The importance of body type

For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540

The places your body stores excess fat may be the single greatest predictor of health outcomes. This is the concept behind Nutrisystem’s assessment of the four most common body types: “Apple,” “Pear,” “Hourglass” and “Rectangle.”

“We’re going a bit old school here, because these categories have stood the test of time for a reason. They provide crucial information on how you respond

Research has found that not all diets and bodies work together the same way.

Photo courtesy Rawpixel/iStock via Getty Images Plus

to food intake and can help you to adjust what you eat based on your goals,” says Courtney McCormick, corporate dietitian at Nutrisystem.

Body type can also influence how macronutrients like fat, protein and carbs are processed. To fulfill your individual needs, first determine your body type, food preferences and goals, then look for a weight loss plan that takes these important factors into consideration, such as Nutrisystem.

One size does not fit all The DIETFITS study, a large, randomized research study comparing low-fat versus low-carb dietary patterns found no difference in weight loss between them. But drilling down into the data, one can see great variability. Some dieters gained weight while others lost a lot. But it’s not always about weight outcomes, as recent research has shown that factors such as body shape may play a bigger role in the determinants of health risks than body weight alone.

NEW YEAR NEW YOU

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Fasting has physical and spiritual components experts say.

Fasting: a holistic approach 24-hour, three-day or week-long fasts yield bounty of benefits

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com

Most people who are basically fit but have gained and lost the same 10 pounds over and over know those last 10 are often the hardest to lose. If you have a lot of weight to lose and get serious about eating right and exercising, you can drop a lot of weight fairly quickly.

It gets doubly frustrating, then, when you’re used to that pace, but so close to your goal you hit a wall.

Stymied by plateaus, last year I decided to experiment with intermittent fasting and researched it from a variety of perspectives.

The best overall resource I found was “The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent,

Alternate-Day and Extended Fasting” (2016) by Jason Fung and Jimmy Moore.

As the title suggests, there are multiple ways to fast. Merely skipping a meal or skipping two (basically 24-hour fasting) yield health benefits but they expand significantly the longer you fast.

The gist of the book is two-fold: 1. millions of years of evolution resulted in natural selection that is wildly out of whack with the way most of us in the U.S. live today. Our bodies learned to store fat for periods when it was usually a long time between meals, a fact of life in the hunter-gatherer societies of yore. But with less than 200 years behind us since the Industrial Revolution ended, our

NEW YEAR NEW YOU

bodies haven’t caught up to the modern, often sedentary jobs and lives we lead today.

Fast food is ubiquitous, Sheets MTO is 24-7, food courts offer mostly unhealthful options (eating healthfully takes creativity and major proactivity!) and yeah, Whole Foods may have lots of healthful options, but you’d have to make six figures to buy lunch there everyday. So fasting — their second main point — is actually one of the fastest, simplest approaches one can take.

Fung and Moore also write that many illnesses and maladies can be improved with intermittent fasting, from cancer to arthritis to heart disease and more. Big pharma has conditioned us to seek meds for our ailments when often the simplest approach is to simply fast. It’s also the big secret the $72 billion U.S. weight loss industry doesn’t want you to think too much about. Simply stop shoving garbage into your mouth for a few days or a week and the need for a fancy weight loss program disappears.

“The Complete Guide” is thorough, authoritative and medically sound and walks you through the pros and cons of fasting for any length of time.

It also takes a lot of the fear out. If you’ve never fasted, you tend to imagine hunger pangs gradually increase in frequency and intensity until you’re ready to devour anything in sight like a crazed person. But it’s not like that at all.

It’s much more akin to a busy work day where you didn’t have a chance to think about lunch until 4 p.m., then realized you weren’t nearly as famished as you’d have thought. Hunger comes and goes in waves during a longer fast (three days or more) and actually gets less bothersome once you’ve worked through the first missed meal. Keep busy and you’ll be surprised how relatively easy it is.

The downside of the book, which gets rather old by the end, is that its authors are huge advocates of the ketogenic diet. Practically every other page features some sort of keto plug. The nice thing about fasting is if you’re on keto already, fasting dovetails beautifully with it (you’ll automatically be in a ketogenic state after a couple days of fasting). I’ve tried keto, though (mostly because this book acts like it’s the best thing ever), and it’s just too restrictive for me for any kind of long-term plan. That said, though, “The Complete Guide to Fasting” is a great starting resource.

A fun read but not a very accurate

depiction of fasting is a 2013 first-person article from GQ called “How the Terrible, Insufferable Six-Day Water Fast Made Me a New Man” by Phillip Toledano. It’s online if you wanna look it up. He writes wittily but basically does everything wrong. First, he spends his fasting week at a health center for monitoring (totally unnecessary unless you have serious medical issues going into it), tries to curtail his boredom by watching the Food Network (No! Keeping your mind occupied with non-food stuff is the best recipe for fasting success) and writes of severe headaches, restlessness and foul moods.

I had almost the total opposite reaction — I was astounded at how not a big deal it was once I got my mind off food. I won’t say it was a breeze (I’ve done two, one-week-long fasts) — I was counting down the days toward meal time for sure, but not because I was in agony or even that I was that hungry.

I just missed the sensory pleasure of chewing and tasting food more than that I was extremely hungry. So take that article with a grain of salt.

I was also curious to explore fasting from a religious perspective. Those stubborn last 10 pounds were my main impetus, but if I could get some spiritual benefit too, why not? Jentezen Franklin in his book “Fasting: Opening the Door to a Deeper, More Intimate, more Powerful Relationship with God” draws a line between supposed original sin (the temptation was food!) to Christ’s period of a 40-day fast and the yin and yang of that juxtaposition in religious history. By the way, ever notice the figure on a crucifix never has love handles?; Of course diet then was vastly different from the sugar-laden garbage that passes for processed food in the U.S. today.

It’s from a pentecostal publisher that has produced some rather dubious (albeit bestselling) titles like “The Faith of George W. Bush,” so proceed with caution. While LGBT topics aren’t addressed, Franklin’s church (and its ilk) is not LGBT-affirming. His basic thesis, though, is that fasting is one component of three (along with giving and praying) that gets you to a higher spiritual plane than you previously thought possible.

The weight loss is a bonus.

Fasting for spiritual reasons has components in other faiths as well which are addressed briefly in “The Complete Guide.”

30 • WA S H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • JAN UARY 1 0 , 2 0 2 0

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KATE McKINNON gives ELLEN DeGENERES the Carol Burnett Award at the Golden Globes Sunday night. (screen capture via NBC Broadcast/HFPA)

Recapping the Globes And looking ahead — will winners have better odds at nabbing the Oscars?

By BRIAN T. CARNEY The Golden Globe Awards have become an uneasy inebriated blend of snark and sentiment. The sentiment comes from the winners and the special honorees who tearfully thank their colleagues and promote their latest cause (this year there were lots of shoutouts to the brave Australian firefighters).

A few speeches did break through the haze; this year those speeches came from the likes of Kate McKinnon, Ellen DeGeneres, Charlize Theron, Tom Hanks

and especially a dazzling Michelle Williams.

The snark was supposed to come from Ricky Gervais who returned to host the ceremony for the fifth time since 2010.

Gervais and broadcaster NBC promised a gleeful naughty night of politically incorrect humor, but the British comedian delivered tired toothless material. There were lots of F-bombs (Gervais kept the bleeper on his toes), lame jokes about Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein, and lunchroom whining about the vegan meal (serving vegetables to vegetables), but only one comment (about Apple and Chinese sweatshops) that had any real bite.

Instead, the best line of the evening came from Sacha Baron Cohen who compared Mark Zuckerberg to the hero of “JoJo Rabbit,” a misguided child who spreads Nazi propaganda and has imaginary friends.

For LGBT audiences, the highlight of the evening came when “Pose” star Billy Porter hit the runway in a magnificent

white tuxedo with a splendid six-footlong white feather train. In addition to the Alex Vinash tuxedo, Porter wore custom-made white satin shoes from Jimmy Choo, an Emm Kuo cigarettebox handbag and over $2.5 million in jewelry loaned by Tiffany & Company.

On the runway, the Best Actor nominee announced that his gender-bending outfit was a form of activism and that he was wearing white to symbolize new hope and new beginnings.

Unfortunately, Porter did not take home the statue for Best Performance in a Television Series (drama). Overall, there were not a lot of out winners, but there weren’t a lot of queer nominees (either LGBT or “gay for pay”) to choose from this year. There was a similar lack of women and people of color among the nominees. Not a single female director was nominated in any of the directing categories, a lack so appalling that even Ricky Gervais commented on it.

Nonetheless, there were some amazing queer moments during the

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TARON EGERTON wins a Globe for playing Elton John in ‘Rocketman.’ (screen capture via NBC Broadcast/HFPA)

77th annual Golden Globes ceremony.

Ellen DeGeneres received the second Carol Burnett Award; in her thoughtful and heartfelt (if somewhat rambling) speech she discussed the power of television in LGBT representation and mocked convention by thanking her husband and kids. She was introduced

by Kate McKinnon who tearfully praised DeGeneres for being a brave television pioneer while Laura Dern (Ellen’s co-star in the infamous “Puppy Episode where both the actress and her TV character bounded out of the closet) beamed from the audience.

The other honorary award of the evening, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, went to Tom Hanks for his outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment. In his delightfully goofy speech, he looked back over his long career, including a guest appearance on “The Love Boat” and starring in “Bosom Buddies” where he and Peter Scolari dressed in drag to find an affordable apartment.

“Rocketman,” the fantasy biography of queer pop icon Elton John, soared high on Sunday night. Sir Elton beat out Beyoncé for Best Original Song (“I’m Gonna Love Me Again”) and Taron Egerton beat out Daniel Craig, Roman Griffin Davis, Leonardo DiCaprio and Eddie Murphy for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (musical or comedy).

Two outspoken LGBT allies won for playing LGBT icons. On the television side, Michelle Williams won for playing Gwen Verdon in “Fosse/Verdon” and on the movie side, Renée Zellweger won for playing Judy Garland in “Judy.” Williams’ acceptance speech was a powerful testimony about the reproductive freedom.

No single movie or TV show dominated the evening. As expected, “Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood,” “Chernobyl,” “Fleabag” and “Succession” each took home multiple awards.

In some interesting upsets, the World War I drama “1917” took home honors

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for Best Drama and Best Director (Sam Mendes). Actor Joaquin Phoenix and composer Hildur Gudnardottir won for “Joker” and “Missing Link” won Best Animated Motion Picture over several popular movies from Walt Disney’s collection of remakes and reboots.

The Golden Globes are awarded annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), a small and rather eccentric group of movie critics. There are roughly 95 members of the HFPA from over 55 countries; members must retain a primary residence in southern California and work for a media outlet that publishes primarily outside the United States. Every member must be currently accredited by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and must submit clippings to renew their membership every year.

While the Golden Globe ceremony is usually considered the start of the Hollywood awards season, it’s not clear if they are more than a convenient shorthand for critics and publicists to use

as an indicator of quality. The small size of the voting pool, the limited number of awards categories (there are no design or technical awards) and the split between dramas and musicals/comedies limit the use of the Golden Globes as crystal balls.

Instead, the awards presented by the various guilds over the coming weeks may be a better sign of who will bring home Oscar gold. Members of the various unions and associations (like the Screen Actors Guild, the Writers Guild of America, the Directors Guild of America and the Costumers Designers Guild) have closer ties to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Look for the Oscar nominees to be announced Monday, Jan. 13.

This year, the Oscars will be presented earlier than usual (Feb. 9). The Spirit Awards for independent films will be presented Feb. 8 and winners of the Dorian Awards from GALECA (The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics) will be celebrated on Feb. 2. The SAGS (Screen Actors Guild Awards) are Jan. 19 on TNT and TBS at 8 p.m.

CALENDAR TODAY The D.C. Black Pride 2020 Reveal is tonight at 7 p.m. at the Human Rights Campaign (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.). The 30th anniversary theme for the 2020 DC Black Pride will be announced at this event. Free tickets are available on Eventbrite.

Diana Ross sings her greatest hits with the National Symphony Orchestra tonight at 8 p.m at the Kennedy Center for the Performing ARts (2700 F St., N.W.).

This legendary performer and Kennedy Center honoree performs hits spanning her award-winning career. Tickets start at $39 at kennedy-center.org.

The LezLink Dinner D8 is tonight at 8:30 p.m. at O-Ku Sushi (1274 5th St., N.E.). Tickets are $10. This event is for womxn who identify as masculine of center and seek femme-identified womxn partners. Details and information are available on Eventbrite and Facebook events.

Queer artist Meshell Ndegeocello performs “Exploration Through Geographical Memories” tonight at 8 p.m. at Blues Alley (1073 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.). Also featured are performers Federico Pena, Gene Lake and Taurus Mateen. Tickets are $50 on bluesalleylive. com.

Daddy Night is tonight at Uproar Lounge (639 Florida Ave., N.W.) at 10 p.m. There is no cover for this 21-andover party, with select complimentary drinks until midnight and a free shot of Captain Morgan for the shirtless and daring. More information is available at uproarlounge.com.

Saturday, Jan. 11 HIPS Volunteer Orientation is today from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at HIPS (906 H St., N.E.). Submit an application prior to attending online. More information is available at hips.org.

The Washington Scandals Roast is tonight from 6-8 p.m. at Pitchers (2317 18th St., N.W.). The team will roast team captain Jacob Tharp before the military ships him off. For more information, visit scandalsrfc.org and Facebook events.

Freddie’s Follies Drag Show is tonight at 8 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar (555 23rd St., S, Arlington, Va.). Showtime is at 8 p.m. and karaoke begins at 10. Visit freddiesbeachbar.com for details.

Kinetic presented by Avalon Saturdays and D.C. Takeover featuring

DIANA ROSS performs at the Kennedy Center tonight and Saturday night as part of a three-night run. photo courtesy Kennedy Center

DJ Rodolfo Bravat is tonight at 10 p.m. at Soundcheck (1420 K St., N.W.). General admission tickets are $20 and include $4 Absolut drinks from 10-midnight. Visit dougiemeyerpresents.com for more information.

Freeballers is tonight at 10 p.m. at Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.).

This pre-MAL dance party runs all night and features club hits from the past and present. For more information, visit greenlanterndc.com.

Sunday, Jan. 12 A Free Queer Tango Practica hosted by Tango Mercurio is today from 2-5 p.m. at The Line Hotel Community Center (1770 Euclid St., N.W.). There will be a brief introduction class at 2 p.m. followed by practice time until 5.. Visit tangomercurio.org for more information.

Queer Yoga with Kyle Grant is today at Dragon’s Breath Yoga (3423 14th St., N.W.) from 2-4 p.m. There will be 90 minutes of yoga, snacks and time to meet new people. Cost is $10. Visit clients.midbodyonline.com for more information.

The Queer-Fetish-Fashion Yard Sale hosted by Pussy Noir is today from 2-6 p.m. at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.). This MAL pre-event focuses on queer fetish fashion items. More details are available on Facebook events.

The annual No Pants Subway Ride is today from 3-7 p.m. starting at Hancock Park (800 C St., S.W.). Hosted by Cupidfit and Capital Improv, the group will ride the D.C. Metro sans pants in a celebration of

silliness. The subway ride is from 3-5 p.m. with a pants-optional after party from 5-7 p.m. at Sudhouse near the U Street station. For details and information, visit improveverywhere.com.

“Women, Social Media and Dissent in Iran” is a talk hosted by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art (1050 Independence Ave., S.W.) today from 4-5 p.m. Scholar Layla Hashemi discusses the use of social media to challenge gender-based discrimination in Iran. For more information, visit asia. si.edu.

Monday, Jan. 13 Showtunes and Cocktails is tonight from 7-9:30 p.m. at Beacon Bar and Grill (1615 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) This is a monthly event hosted by pianist Glenn Pearson.

The Coven D.C. party for queer womxn is tonight at 10 p.m. at Ten Tigers Parlour (3813 Georgia Ave., N.W.). For more information, visit facebook.com./ thecovendc.

Tuesday, Jan. 14 Women’s March Poster Making is tonight from 5-9 p.m. on the George Washington University Campus (2121 H St., N.W.). March on the Campus GWU hosts a night of poster making and discussion in preparation for the 2020 Women’s March. Art supplies and posters are provided. Visit marchonthecampus.

org for more information.

“My Fair Lady” continues its run tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. (2700 F St., N.W.). Tickets start at $39 for this classic tale of Eliza Doolittle and notions about what makes a “proper lady.” Tickets are available at kennedy-center.org.

Wednesday, Jan. 15 Market Crash: Leather Edition is tonight at 9 p.m. at The Big Board (421 H St., N.E.). This MAL “pre-game” event is a special LGBTQ, leather-encouraged dance party. For more information, visit thebigboarddc.com and Facebook events.

Rock N Roll Karaoke with host Andrew Herndon is tonight at 9 p.m. at Slash Run (201 Upshur St., N.W.). Punk and rock music highlight this event and set the stage for MAL weekend. Visit slashrun.com for more information.

Thursday, Jan. 16 Sondra Sun-Odeon performs her haunting rock ballads tonight at 8 p.m. at Slash Run (201 Upshur St., N.W.). Visit slashrun.com and Facebook events for details.

Shen Yun Performing Arts, a classical Chinese dance presentation, opens today at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts (4373 Mason Pond Dr., Fairfax, Va.) at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $80 and are available at fxva.com.

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“As bold and beautiful as ever!”

—Daily Telegraph

Pretty Boi Drag celebrates its fourth anniversary Jan. 19 Blade file photo by Tom Hausman

Pretty Boi celebrates 4th

A NEW ADVENTURES PRODUCTION

Pretty Boi Drag’s fourth anniversary show is Sunday, Jan. 19 at Union Stage (740 Water St., S.W.) at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 for general admission and $35 for VIP. Launching in 2016, this awardwinning D.C.-based drag king performance group first hit the stage to a sold-out crowd and as been a popular area staple ever since. This event is for all audiences, though there may be some adult themes.

For tickets and information, visit union stage.com.

Khan to perform at MLK concert

January 21–26 | Opera House Kennedy-Center.org (202) 467-4600

Groups call (202) 416-8400

For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540

Additional support for Dance at the Kennedy Center is provided by Suzanne L. Niedland.

The “Let Freedom Ring Celebration” featuring Chaka Khan is Monday, Jan. 20 from 6-8 p.m. at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (2700 F St., N.W.).

This is a free, ticketed musical tribute to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with 10-time Grammy Award winner Chaka Khan and the Let Freedom Ring Choir led by Rev. Nolan’s Williams Jr. Georgetown University will also present the 18th annual John Thompson Jr. Legacy of a Dream Award to Sandra Jackson, the executive director of House of Ruth, an organization providing housing and services to women and families in the D.C. area for over 40 years.

Visit kennedy-center.org for more information on this special performance.

QPOC Play Party is Jan. 18 The BLQK: QPOC Play Party hosted

by Sadie V and the People of Color Kink and Leather Experience is Saturday, Jan. 18 at the Hampton Inn Convention Center (901 6th St., N.W.) at 9 p.m. Tickets start at $5.

All genders, sexualities and levels of experience are welcome at the queercentric event, which is limited to people of color only. Both Sadie V and POCKLE are groups dedicated to the gathering and conservation of the culture and history of the POC leather and kink community.

More information on this event and the PoC kink culture can be found at pockle.org.

‘Swan Lake’ is Jan. 21 Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures Presents “Swan Lake” will be performed Tuesday, Jan. 21 at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $29.

Bourne, a British choreographer and director, is best known for his male ensemble which shattered conventions for its time, and he met his partner Arthur Pita who was a swan during one performance. Bourne told The Guardian in 2015 while he feared accusations of favoritism, “people were lovely about it.

They could see it was the real thing.”

Tickets for this groundbreaking show are available at kennedy-center.org.

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A PLAY BY

J.M. BARRIE ADAPTED BY

LAUREN GUNDERSON DIRECTED BY

ALAN PAUL MUST CLOSE SUNDAY TICKETS START AT $35

ShakespeareTheatre.org | 202.547.1122 Sponsored by Suzanne and Glenn Youngkin Restaurant Sponsor: From top: Photo of Chauncey Chestnut, Sinclair Daniel, Christopher Flaim, and Justin Mark by Teresa Castracane. Photo of Derek Smith by Scott Suchman.

Photo of Sinclair Daniel and Justin Mark by Teresa Castracane. Photo of Gregory Wooddell, Calvin McCullough, and Michael Glenn by Scott Suchman.

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This Week in the Arts provided by CultureCapital.com THEATRE American Opera Initiative: Three New 20-Minute Operas. Jan 10. WNO at Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

Le Cabaret De Carmen. Thru Jan 19.

In Series at Source Theatre. inseries.org.

My Fair Lady. Thru Jan 19. Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

Ol’ Blue Eyes: Frank Sinatra. Thru Jan 18. Signature Theatre. sigtheatre.org.

Pilgrims Musa & Sheri in The New World. Jan 16-Feb 16. Mosaic Theater Company at Atlas. mosaictheater.org.

Sheltered. Thru Feb 1. Theater J at EDCJCC. theaterj.org.

The Merry Wives of Windsor. Jan 14-Mar 1. Folger Theatre. folger.edu.

DANCE Step Afrika! Step Xplosion. Jan 12.

Strathmore. strathmore.org.

Step Afrika! Step Xplosion Jan 12. Strathmore. strathmore.org.

This performance begins with a showcase of the region’s finest step squads featuring lightning-fast footwork, percussive chants, and incredible synchronicity. The premiere of the Strathmore-commissioned Drumfolk follows, which honors the heritage of step and places the evolution of this vibrant art form in its historical context.

New Paths Jan 12. Chiarina Chamber Players at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church. chiarina.org.

The genius of the young Brahms prompted Robert Schumann to envision “new paths” in the future of music, and his wife Clara lived to see the fulfillment of Brahms’ promise. We present works by these two lifelong friends, as well as music by Hindemith and J. S. Bach, two master craftsmen who forged new pathways with their innovations in harmony and structure.

American Opera Initiative Jan 10. WNO at Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

Three world premiere short operas will be staged in a concert performance, accompanied by a small chamber orchestra and followed by a Q&A with the artists and creative team. This season’s distinguished mentors include composer Laura Kaminsky, librettist Kelley Rourke, and conductor Anne Manson.

Judy Chicago—The End: A Meditation on Death and Extinction Thru Jan 20. National Museum of Women in the Arts. nmwa.org.

Judy Chicago has built her career on pushing boundaries. Her latest body of work, a series titled The End: A Meditation on Death and Extinction, is no exception. In nearly 40 works of painted porcelain and glass, as well as two large bronze sculptures, Chicago tackles human mortality and species extinction.

Photo Courtesy of Strathmore

MUSIC Aizuri Quartet. Jan 12-Jan 13.

Dumbarton Oaks. doaks.org.

Ayo. Jan 15-Jan 29. Strathmore at The Mansion. strathmore.org.

Bronfman plays Beethoven / Holst’s The Planets. Jan 16-Jan 19. NSO at Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

Chamber Music at The Barns: Will Liverman and Ken Noda. Jan 12. An Evening With JD Souther. Jan 15. Wolf Trap at The Barns. wolftrap.org.

Decades Dance Party featuring DJ GLOWSTIK. Jan 10. Dupont Underground. dupontunderground.org.

Les Chansons Juives: Portraits of Jewish Music in France with Dr. Hazzan Ramón Tasat. Jan 11. Pozez JCC. jccnv. org.

New Paths. Jan 12. Chiarina Chamber Players at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church. chiarina.org.

The Apollo Orchestra with Roberto Diaz, viola. Jan 12. The Apollo Orchestra at Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church. apolloorchestra.com.

MUSEUMS Anacostia Neighborhood Library. Right to the City @Anacostia Neighborhood Library. Thru Apr 20. anacostia.si.edu.

Dumbarton Oaks. Asian Art from the Bliss Collection. Thru Jun 1. A Nobility of Matter: Asian Art from the Bliss Collection. Thru Jun 1. doaks.org.

Library of Congress. Shall Not Be

Denied: Women Fight for the Vote. Thru Sep 1. Comic Art: 120 Years of Panels and Pages. Thru Sep 12. loc.gov.

National Archives. Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote. Thru Jan 3. archivesfoundation.org.

National Geographic. WOMEN: A Century of Change. Thru May 1. Becoming Jane. Thru Jun 1. nationalgeographic. org.

National Museum of Women in the Arts. Judy Chicago—The End: A Meditation on Death and Extinction. Thru Jan 20. Live Dangerously. Thru Jan 20.

New York Ave Sculpture Project. Thru Sep 20. nmwa.org.

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian. In Mid-Sentence. Thru Mar 29. One Life: Marian Anderson. Thru May 17. Women of Progress: Early Camera Portraits. Thru May 31. Storied Women of the Civil War Era. Thru May 8. npg.si.edu.

Postal Museum. None Swifter Than These: 100 Years of Diplomatic Couriers.

Thru Jan 26. postalmuseum.si.edu.

Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian. The Great Inka Road.

Thru Jun 1. Our Universes. Thru Sep 30.

Nation to Nation. Thru Dec 31. Return to a Native Place. Thru Jan 1. Americans.

Thru Dec 31. americanindian.si.edu.

GALLERIES Arts Barn. Maryland Photography Alliance Gallery Exhibit. Thru Jan 21.

Life in Color Gallery Exhibit. Thru Jan 27. gaithersburgmd.gov.

DC Arts Center (DCAC). Some Things Old/Most Things New - Explorations at Gravity Press by Alec Simpson. Thru Jan 12. Out of Joint - Small Drawing by Karen Schiff. Thru Feb 23. dcartscenter.org.

Del Ray Artisans. Creature Comforts Art Exhibit. Thru Jan 26. Tangerine. Jan 10-Feb 2. delrayartisans.org.

Hill Center. Hill Center Galleries.

Thru Feb 1. hillcenterdc.org.

Library of Congress. Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words. Thru Sep 30. loc.gov.

Pozez JCC. Open Exhibition. Thru Jan 13. jccnv.org.

Strathmore. Opening Reception: The 29th Annual Strathmore Juried Exhibition: Home. Jan 16. David Scheirer.

Thru Feb 23. The 29th Annual Strathmore Juried Exhibition: Home. Jan 11-Feb 23.

Waverly Street Gallery. ‘A Tale of Four Cities’– New York, Paris, Venice and Washington, Photographs by Frank Van Riper. Thru Feb 8. waverlystreetgallery. com.

Zenith Gallery. 6@35 - Fabricating Culture. Thru Jan 18. Small Treasures.

Thru Jan 25. zenithgallery.com.

38 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • JAN UARY 1 0 , 2 0 2 0

“

I like staying in shape, listening to Adele, and shopping in Friendship Heights with my mom and sisters.

I’m a transgender woman and I’m part of DC. Please treat me the way any woman would want to be treated: with courtesy and respect.

Discrimination based on gender identity and expression is illegal in the District of Columbia.

If you think you’ve been the target of discrimination, visit www.ohr.dc.gov or call (202) 727-4559.

OFFICE OF

GLBT AFFAIRS

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Brut takes over the D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) tonight at 10 p.m. DJs Dan Darlington and Morabito are set to spin NYC underground house music during this leather weekend party. Tickets start at $30 and are available at tickets. hedonicproductions.com. Find more information on this and other events at dceagle.com.

Sunday, Jan. 19 Mid-Atlantic Leather returns next weekend.

Blade file photo by Michael Key

MAL around the clock Next weekend’s festivities feature non-stop party options

By PHILIP VAN SLOOTEN The Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend presented by the Centaur Motorcycle Club kicks off Friday, Jan. 17 at 4 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency (400 New Jersey Ave., N.W.). A full-weekend pass for this three-day event is $30. Friday only and Sunday only passes are $15 and passes for Saturday only are $20.

Most of the weekend’s official events take place at the Hyatt; however, other events and parties are also held at other venues around the city. Official events include Saturday evening Leather Cocktails, Sunday brunch, a Mr. MAL contest, a Leather Exhibit Hall and the Sunday night closing party.

For a complete schedule and other details, visit leatherweekend.com.

Pre-weekend festivities The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) hosts the MAL 2020 Opening Party and Fundraiser Thursday, Jan. 16 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $5. This kick-off event includes appearances by the current and former Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather and the current Mr. and Ms. D.C. Eagle. Shuttle buses will be running all night from the Eagle to the MAL host hotel. Visit dceagle.com for ticket and information.

Friday, Jan. 17 The Bear Happy Hour’s Leather Bear Party presented by D.C. Bear Crue is tonight from 5-10 p.m. at Uproar (639 Florida Ave., N.W.). Bears, otters and their furry friends are celebrated at this MAL weekend event. There is no cover charge, select drinks are $5 and free appetizers are handed out all night. Drink specials end at 10 p.m. Visit uproarlounge.com and Facebook events for details.

MIR at MAL: A Rubber Meet and Greet hosted by Mr. International Rubber is tonight from 7-10 p.m. at the MAL host hotel, Hyatt Regency (400 New Jersey Ave., N.W.). This cocktail party is an opportunity for rubber enthusiasts to meet, socialize and start the weekend off right. Part of the space will be black lit to show off colorized rubber wear. For more information, visit mirubber.com.

The Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) hosts Rough House: Leather Edition tonight at 9 p.m. This lights off, hands-on dance party features DJS offAxis, Lemz, Sean Morris and The Barber Streisand. Cover is $5 before 10 p.m. and $10 after with a free clothes check. More information is available at greenlanterndc.com.

Impact: Sauvage is a Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend kick-off party hosted

by The Highwaymen TNT in the MAL host

hotel at 10 p.m. TWiN spins the music until 3 a.m. for this MAL opening night event. Visit Facebook events for more information.

Pervert: The Pleasure of Darkness is tonight at 10 p.m. at Karma D.C. (2221 Adams Place, N.W.). Tickets are $42 for this party featuring entertainment by DJ Cindel and Flavio Zarza. Hosts La Fantasy, Hilton Wolman Events and Matinee Group team up for this MAL weekend production. Visit seetickets.us/pervertdc for more information.

Furball D.C. hosted by the D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) is tonight at 11:30 p.m. This MAL weekend kick off party offers a bus shuttle all night to the MAL host hotel as well as music by Dan De Leon. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. VIP tickets are $30.

For more information, visit furballnyc. ticketleap.com.

Saturday, Jan. 18 Deviant (1348 H St., N.E.) hosts a circuit party and celebration for queer people of color in time for MLK and MAL weekend. This event sets things off tonight at 10 p.m. and features performances by Tryfe with special guest Mr. Maryland Leather 2020 “Sir Oya.” General admission is $30 and tickets are available at deviantevents.eventbrite. com.

Spank, a hard-hitting all-night party presented by The Needle Exchange and Sequence, is tonight at 10 p.m. This event celebrates both the D.C. Leather weekend and the third anniversary of the D.C. Women’s March and features sets from DJ Lisa Frank, Juliana, Ash Lauryn and Juana with sounds by Grand Ancestor. The venue location will be sent to ticket holders on the day of the event.

Visit bit.ly/SPANKDC for details.

Harder, a hard tea dance party, is today from 3-9 p.m. at the U Street Music Hall (1115 U St., N.W.). This event recreates New York’s gay underground night scene with house music by Keenan Orr and Shaun J. Wright, an intimate space and a hardcore party crowd. Tickets start at $10 on bigneon.com. More information is available at ustreetmusichall.com.

Uproar’s (639 Florida Ave., N.W.) Sunday Beer Bust MAL edition kicks off today at 3 p.m. There is no cover for this event which includes a complimentary dinner buffet from 3-6 and the Beer Bust with DJ Mike Babbitt from 4-9. For more information on the venue and on Uproar’s first Daddy Night event, visit uproarlounge.com.

Sungay, an outdoor day party with leather aficionados, muscle boys, bears and more, runs today from 4-10 p.m. at Eden D.C. (1716 I St., N.W.). This party takes place at a multilevel nightclub to include three floors and an outdoor space equipped with patio heaters. DJs Jerac and Paulo Fagroso spin the music at this MAL weekend event. Visit seetickets. us for tickets and details.

JOX returns to the Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) tonight at 9 p.m. for a special MAL edition. This event features all-night drink specials, a $10 cover, music by DJ UltraPup and performances by the JOX boys. For details visit greenlanterndc.com.

Flashy Leather Edition hosted by Flashy Sundays (645 Florida Ave., N.W.) starts tonight at 10 p.m. The cover charge is $30 for this first Flashy event of 2020, celebrating both the MLK holiday and MAL weekend. Doors open at 10 p.m. with an extended bar until 4 a.m. TWiN and DJ Sean Morris will be spinning tunes on the main floor while DJ Mike Babbitt will be running the roof top all night long.

Visit facebook.com/flashydc for details.

MAL Reaction Dance: The Official Closing Party of MAL is tonight at 8 p.m. at the 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.). Tickets are $35 in advance and $45 at the door.

This intimate venue which launched hit makers like Lizzo plays host to the MAL weekend finale. For tickets and information, visit 930.com.

40 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • JAN UARY 1 0 , 2 0 2 0

2020

Help us find D.C.’s top 20 LGBTQ singles for the Blade’s Singles Issue on February 14th, then meet them at the singles party on February 14th.

Nominate yourself or your friends through Jannuary 15th at

washingtonblade.com/singles

JA N UA RY 1 0 , 2020 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 41

From left, LAIRD MACKINTOSH and WADE McCOLLUM in ‘My Fair Lady.’

Photo by Joan Marcus; courtesy Kennedy Center

Savoring Zoltan

Out actor enjoys ‘gossip queen’ role in ‘My Fair Lady’

By PATRICK FOLLIARD Out actor Wade McCollum was born on the road. His father played in a rock band and the family lived mostly in vans and hotel rooms. These memories are McCollum’s earliest and most vivid, more clearly recalled than the comparably conventional parts of his youth spent in Oregon.

So, it’s not surprising that hopping from city to city with a big musical is both familiar and comfortable to him.

For the next year, the 36-year-old actor is playing Professor Zoltan Karpathy in the national tour of Bartlett Sher’s esteemed Broadway production of “My Fair Lady,” now at the Kennedy Center Opera House.

Lerner and Loewe’s beloved Edwardian London set musical (a hit on stage and screen), adapted from George Bernard’s Shaw’s play “Pygmalion,” is the story of Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle who goes to pompous Professor Henry Higgins for elocution lessons. On a whim, Higgins bets that in six months he will not only improve Eliza’s speech, but will pass her off as a duchess at an embassy ball.

As Higgins’ infamous Hungarian rival, Professor Karpathy, McCollum plays a supporting but integral part.

McCollum’s bio boasts a kaleidoscope of roles including the title character in off-Broadway’s “Ernest Shackleton Loves Me.” Among numerous other gigs, he played in “Wicked” (Broadway) and starred as “Tick/Mitzi” in the first national

tour of the musical “Priscilla Queen of the Desert.”

When not touring, McCollum lives in New York City with his husband, an accomplished artist.

WASHINGTON BLADE: Zoltan is a quite a character, isn’t he?

WADE MCCOLLUM: He’s a Hungarian dialectician who shows up just when Henry Higgins is presenting a transformed Eliza to society. He’s a meddling social climber, more interested in appearance than the reality of the situation. He’s a gossip queen, really.

In terms of function, Zoltan serves as a threat to the goal of the play which is for Eliza to become a believable member of the upper class. It’s a small part but very important to moving the play along. He’s an island character in terms of energy and tempo, a one of a kind Hungarian in a sea of mostly Brits.

BLADE: He’s wonderfully over the top. Are you having fun with him?

MCCOLLUM: A lot of fun. I like living in that sort of world. It’s grounded in his aspiration to be best friends with royalty and aristocrats and know their secrets.

He’s teaching people how to speak properly and hide their backgrounds.

But he blackmails them to climb the social ladder himself.

BLADE: You don’t typically play supporting roles, do you?

MCCOLLUM: Not really. For the last

four or five years I’ve been in leading role with various world premieres. I love being the protagonist. But it’s been relaxing and community building to not carry the narrative burden and get to hang out with the ensemble and be part of the play in a more tertiary way. And to work with director Bartlett Sher. He’s brilliant.

BLADE: “My Fair Lady” is a real musical chestnut, and seemingly quaint in many ways. But recently during the impeachment hearings, Russia expert Fiona Hill, who grew up the daughter of a coalminer in North East England, spoke about America and how in England in the 1980s and 1990s, her working-class accent would have proved a barrier to most professional opportunities.

MCCOLLUM: And that’s exactly the play. And I think she was from someplace near Yorkshire which is actually mentioned: “Hear a Yorkshireman, or worse, Hear a Cornishman converse. I’d rather hear a choir singing flat.” Class prejudice being specifically about dialect is a very British thing.

BLADE: You came to Washington with the national tour of “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” in 2013. I remember you wearing some intense heels.

MCCOLLUM: Yes. A really fun show.

The only time I left the stage was to do quick costume changes. And there were many of them. The costumes were great — a finale dress transformed into the Sydney Opera House. And I really liked taking that particular show into smaller towns. Bringing the glitter and that show’s beautiful message of inclusion was a pleasure. And that was before “Drag Race” had taken off and the trans conversation had not yet become ubiquitous. We helped spark those conversations and introduce those ideas in places that hadn’t known about them.

BLADE: Were there poignant moments?

MCCOLLUM: Numerous examples.

I remember meeting a 12-year-old girl who said to me, “I have a little brother who likes to dress up in girls’ clothes and I’ve been mean to him and made him cry.

After seeing the show, I think I should love him exactly the way he is.” When this happens, you feel like you’re doing something of importance.

BLADE: Did casting agents try to pigeon hole you early on?

MCCOLLUM: Sure, I’ve encountered some things. I remember a callback for a big pilot in L.A. I’d just finished “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” at Celebration Theatre in Los Angeles on stage. It was a successful show with a long run and I’d received some awards. Casting people knew me as that and I was only getting called in for drag and trans parts. I loved coming in for these parts but I needed them to know that believe it or not, I can play straight guys too. So, at the pilot audition, one of the TV producers piped up and said, “I just have to say you’re not being gay enough.” Of course, there is no one way to play to gay. I wanted to argue but it wasn’t the venue for that. But I did ask, “Would you show me what you mean?”

BLADE: And in New York?

MCCOLLUM: Initially I had trouble with representation in New York. I come across a certain way but they didn’t realize that I’m a transformer. That’s what I do. They hadn’t seen my work, so they were putting me up for queer characters, whom I love and adore, but it was limiting. So, about a year in we had a meeting where I told them I could play all sorts of roles. To prove it, I got a job on my own accord playing a butch, wifebeating logger. The agents came. They all said, “We had no idea.”

BLADE: It worked?

MCCOLLUM: Yes. It was a strategy on my part. People don’t know until they know. And sometimes it takes a while for people to know your capabilities.

BLADE: Where do you see your career going next?

MCCOLLUM: As an actor, my gifts lie in originating roles and being in the room as rewrites are happening. It’s where I’m best and of most service. After “Wicked” on Broadway, I did some large parts in world premieres. After this tour, one of those projects may move forward and hopefully I’ll be a part of that.

‘My Fair Lady’

Through Jan. 19 Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts $39-159 202-467-4600 kennedy-center.org

42 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • JAN UARY 1 0 , 2 0 2 0

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Island paradise Honolulu is perfect escape from mainland wintertime blues

By BILL MALCOLM

Nightlife Bacchus Bar at 408 Lewers is a lot of fun. It has bingo on Thursday nights and features a friendly neighborhood crowd with great nightly specials. Its owners boast that it’s one of the best gay bars in the U.S. Check out Hula’s Bar (134 Kapahulu Avenue) for the sunset views. It had live music and great happy hour specials the night I was there and is close to the beach.

The In Between Bar (2255 Lauula) features karaoke every night and a friendly local crowd.

Where to stay I stayed in Waikiki at The Surfjack Hotel and Swim Club, which was perfect.

I had a small apartment with balcony. The Surfjack features local room design and art work and local fare in its restaurant, Mahina and Sun where guests at the hotel get a $10 per day credit for a meal.

Surfjack has live music every night at 7 p.m and wine tasting on Tuesdays.

Free bikes and helmets are nice too not to mention its pool (with free towels and sunscreen) and a tote bag to take your stuff to the beach.

The hotel is right next door to Bacchus. Next door is an ABC Store (408 Lewers) that has everything you would want to eat or drink. Show your Surfjack room key at the Honolulu Museum of Art for free admission. The Surfjack has it all and is highly recommended.

Waikiki in the distance seen from Diamond Head in Hawaii.

What to eat

Photo by Bill Malcolm

Sick of winter yet? Honolulu is a perfect escape. The temperatures are in the low 80s year round. I only packed shorts.

What to do The first day I hiked up Diamond Head State Monument for great views of Waikiki. Take the no. 2 bus to the trail head near the community college. It’s not only a mountain but a giant crater with lots of interesting plant life. On the way back, I stopped at the Pineapple Shack for coconut juice (and pulp to eat). They also sell fresh pineapple juice. Stop by the Diamond Head Market and Grill on the way up to pick up a picnic lunch.

On day two, a friend and I toured the beautiful University of Hawaii at Manoa campus. Stop at the Student Center for

lunch for local fare. The L&L Hawaiian Barbeque had great garlic shrimp. We hiked up to the Lyon Arboretum which is run by the university. You will learn about the endemic plants of Hawaii and hike through fern valleys, a native Hawaiian plant garden, and more. The no. 5 bus will get you there.

Day three featured a hike through the St. Louis neighborhood to Wa’ahila Ridge Regional Park. It features a Norfolk Island pine forest and great views of the city. We hiked up and took the bus back down.

Day four included a tour of the Army Museum at nearby Fort DeRussy Beach run by the military. The beach is handy and open to everyone.

I went swimming everyday with my friends at Queen’s Surf Beach. Honolulu apparently does not have a gay beach anymore, but this one was close enough.

Bargain hunters will love Da Spot where dinners start at just $6. You will find the at 2569 King Street near University Avenue.

Getting there I redeemed just 19,000 points for a free ticket on Southwest Airlines through Oakland (from Indianapolis) to Honolulu.

It’s a new route for the company.

However, the five-hour-plus flight on its new seating types was uncomfortable and the crackers and cheese snack (plus pretzels and fruit candy) was insufficient for a dinner-hour flight. No food was offered for purchase either.

The flight attendant barked at me for not separating my cup trash from other trash for pick up as instructed. Another complained when I had the temerity to ask for a full can of Diet Coke on a fourplus hour flight from Indy to Oakland.

Worse, the gate they use at HNL is a 20-minute walk to baggage claim and the main terminal where you catch the bus to town, although there is a shuttle bus.

The flight back on American Airlines was much better. Besides being in the main terminal, the red eye through Phoenix featured a great cheese and fruit tray for purchase plus French wine. The seats had chargers for your electronic devices (unlike Southwest). The staff was professional and top notch.

You won’t need a rental car for your Honolulu trip. It is a very walkable city (especially Waikiki). You can take “The Bus” (their name for the city bus system) everywhere.

Take the no. 19 Bus to and from the airport for just $2.75. Better yet, by an allday pass for $5.50

Travel tips All the hotels charge a resort fee of around $25-35 so always check what it is when you get a hotel room quote.

(At least you are at a resort area, unlike downtown Portland, New York City and other places that now also tack on a resort or amenity fee.) Resort fees are the worst trend of the year in travel.

Most of the Honolulu hotels are expensive and the ones that aren’t are not part of national chains. Many of these get so-so reviews (see TripAdvisor), so shop around but be prepared for the high room rates. It took a lot of research to track down the Surfjack.

Try the Japanese food. It’s excellent and everywhere — even at the 7-11. This is because about half the tourists are from Japan.

Aloha means hello and mahalo means thank you.

Don’t jaywalk and don’t ride your bike on the sidewalk. These laws are strictly enforced.

Be sure and take time to learn about the fascinating history of Hawaii and its world-famous plant life while you visit.

The locals are friendly and welcoming.

Honolulu indeed makes for a perfect winter get away.

For more information, try the LGBT pages at visit hawaill.com. The Good to Know LGBT Oahu Pocket Guide also lists everything you need to know in terms of LGBT activities plus lists great hike ideas and beaches on Oahu. Pick one up at a bar.

Bill Malcolm’s syndicated LGBT value travel column appears in LGBT publications throughout the country. His opinions are his own.

He resides in Indianapolis and writes as a hobby.

He paid for his own travel and hotel for this trip.

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GAME CHANGERS: Rhonda Jackson D.C. Swag won 2018 championship D Division title

By KEVIN MAJOROS This week in the Game Changers series we meet an athlete from Chesapeake and Potomac Softball (CAPS) who has taken its women’s softball program to new heights.

Growing up in New England, Rhonda Jackson found a safe haven in sports as a three-letter athlete in basketball, softball and field hockey.

“Sports was a completely freeing experience and a place where I could express myself,” Jackson, who identifies as a lesbian, says. “It also gave me an avenue to connect to a community.”

After completing four years at Virginia Commonwealth University on a basketball scholarship, Jackson took a break from sports to refuel. She remained in Virginia and was soon asked to play softball with the Chesapeake and Potomac Softball League.

Playing on a CAPS team led to starting her own CAPS team in 2008.

After the Sunday games, she would sit on the hill and socialize with other players before they all went home. Jackson found herself wanting a more complete experience.

Out of her team the Capitol Cougars, came the formation of their new travel team, D.C. Swag. Jackson had a vision of growing the CAPS women’s division and creating a more competitive environment.

“I often say to players that we want the CAPS to be your softball home. It’s important to build something that has value in your community,” Jackson says.

“It’s not always about the sport, it’s about how you connect to people.”

At the Amateur Sports Alliance of North America (ASANA) Softball World Series in 2018, D.C. Swag captured the championship title in the D Division. The women from D.C. fought their way back from a deficit in nine of the 14 games they played.

ASANA was created in 2007 as a nonprofit organization comprised of women dedicated to promoting the participation of LGBT people in an organized softball competition.

“In the ASANA community, D.C. is known for our ability to be inclusive and provide access to a diverse group of

RHONDA JACKSON has been an innovator in local women’s softball.

Photo courtesy CAPS

people — deaf, sober, partnered, single — all are welcome,” Jackson says.

Last summer, CAPS hosted its largest MAGIC Tournament with over 40 teams participating, including its largest ever women’s division. Members are expecting another big women’s division this year as MAGIC has once again been named as a qualifying tournament for the 2020 ASANA Softball World Series in Norfolk.

Recently, D.C. was awarded the 2021 ASANA World Series with Jackson serving as co-chair along with CAPS Commissioner Tony Mace. They’re hoping to draw 60 teams from around the country with 1,300 athletes, friends and allies.

“D.C. is an amazing city filled with diverse, talented and vibrant people.

The World Series will be an opportunity to highlight the best of the city,” Jackson says. “We want to give all of our participants a memorable experience.”

Jackson works as an epidemiologist in a program that evaluates standards for the military. She plays softball from April to November, three days a week at shortstop or third base.

“Sports is where I have found my comfort and it is where I am grounded,” Jackson says. “My spirit is collaborative and the sports community has given me a wonderful opportunity to connect with interesting people.”

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Drag Bingo Patrons enjoyed a night of Drag Bingo at Nellie’s Sports Bar and Grill on Tuesday.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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1339 C St NE $681,750

Khalil El-Ghoul Principal Broker & Owner

"Courtney and daughters, Nahl Vienna and cou friends, commu experienced sin community."

571-235-4821 Khalil@glasshousere.com glasshousere.com

Khalil Alexander El-Ghoul,

Principal Broker & Owner of Glass House Real Estate

571-235-4821

khalil@glasshousere.com 145 Church St NW #301, Vienna VA 22180 718 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20001 www.glasshousere.com

7

Licensed in DC, MD & VA. If you are already working with an agent this is not meant to solicitLicensed your business. in DC, MD, & VA VA. If you are already working with an a your business.

145 Church St., NW Vienna, VA

JA N UA RY 1 0 , 2020 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 49

DIVERSITY + INCLUSION = ENGAGEMENT Ingleside is all about engaged living. We are who we are because of who we all are, and embrace diversity and inclusion every day. Ingleside creates a welcoming culture that provides not just an exceptional place to live–but an extraordinary place to belong. Become part of an Ingleside community today.

Call for a personal tour, and discover what engaged living can mean to you!

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2020 real estate resolutions Tips for building wealth in the next decade

By P. TYLER SMITH It’s a new year AND a new decade.

For many, that means dealing with an overcrowded gym, struggling through “dry January” or having meat sweats from attempting Keto. Personally, I’ve used the start of new decade to evaluate not only where I want to be next year, but also in another 10 years. I decided that I want to focus my 2020’s on building long-term wealth, which means making choices to enable me to grow my personal real estate portfolio. After I announced this resolution at a New Year’s Eve dinner party, several friends called me asking how to make similar goals, so they too can experience great real estate in 2020.

Here’s a brief guide I developed and shared with my closest friends who share my real estate vision for 2020.

My first recommendation to friends and clients is to complete an honest review of your financial situation. Begin with a close look at your monthly income and spending habits. If you’re a first-time homebuyer, evaluate your discretionary expenses and cut back on items like ride-sharing services, delivery services and maybe weeknight outings. Down payments can be as low as 3.5% and

Meet with a local lender who will provide personalized customer service, the best rates and close your deal on time.

you’ll be surprised how quickly these “small” savings add up to get you where you need to be financially.

Don’t forget that with the purchase SHOULDN’T FINAL of a propertyTHE have the benefit of MEMORIES OFyou’ll A LOVED ONE enjoying financial perks like an increase BE AMONG THE FINEST? in your net worth, building of equity, predictable monthly payment and tax benefits in the form of mortgage interest and property tax deductions. Of course, seek counsel with a tax accountant who can advise you on these benefits.

For sellers, start by visiting our website bediz.smarthomeprice.com to obtain a price check on your current property.

Even when selling, I often recommend minimizing expenses to provide you with cash flow to prep your house for the market. These little updates can help maximize your returns. If you’re unsure how to use those savings to ready your

SHOULDN’T THE FINAL MEMORIES OF A LOVED ONE BE AMONG THE FINEST?

SHOULDN’T THE FINAL MEMORIES OF A LOVED ONE BE AMONG THE FINEST? times when nothing short ofshort the bestofwill do.best A memorial ThereThere areare times when nothing the will do. A service is service one of them. is a final expression, theaculmination of a lifetime the memorial isItone of them.

It is final expression, orchestrated a singular event.

What leaves into a lasting culmination of into a lifetime orchestrated a impression? singular event.

A ceremony is as unique as the individual.

We’ll help youthat plan is as What leaves that a lasting impression?

A ceremony and design every detail of your own remarkable send-off. uniqueahead as the individual. We’ll help you plan ahead and design every detail of your own remarkable send-off.

house, we can give you personalized value-add recommendations to make sure you get the biggest bang for your buck.

Next, I highly recommend meeting with a local lender. We live in a unique market that often moves quickly. A local lender understands this and will provide personalized customer service, the best rates and close your deal on time. A great local lender is Brooke Lowry with Atlantic Coast Mortgage (NMLS ID #1061722, cell: 202-803-6733). As an added benefit to working with someone local like Brooke, is their knowledge of local programs for first-time homebuyers. These programs can help make homeownership more affordable and can vary between each jurisdiction, so it’s important to talk with a local lender who is well versed in the area where you’re planning to purchase

a home. To those seasoned owners looking to buy a new home or purchase an investment property, a local lender can help you understand how much you can afford and what loan products exist to help you take your next real estate steps.

Arguably one of the hardest parts of the process is hiring a Realtor. I recommend finding an agent whose work style aligns with yours and is experienced, agile and adept at navigating our complex regional market.

For me, my career experience consulting on commercial real estate transactions ensures my clients get the best possible deal. I also have first-hand experience with investment and rental properties, so I am able to provide a detailed analysis of potential income for those who are looking to grow their real estate portfolio and do short-term rentals, such as Airbnb.

From first-time homebuyers to seasoned investors, I’ve helped buyers purchase properties all throughout D.C. If you have any questions about these recommendations or are ready to make some 2020 real estate moves, give me a call at 202-441-0086.

P. Tyler Smith

is a Realtor with the Bediz Group, LLC, a top-producing team of agents at Keller Williams Capital Properties.

Reach Tyler at 202-441-0086 or tyler@ bediz.com. Be sure to also follow @ tylersmithsellsdc and @bedizgroup on Instagram.

REALTOR®speak Sophisticated City Living

Translation: Located next to a noisy bar VALERIE M. BLAKE, Associate Broker, GRI, Director of Education & Mentorship Dupont Circle Office • 202-518-8781 (o) • 202.246.8602 (c) Valerie@DCHomeQuest.com • www.DCHomeQuest.com

There are times when nothing short of the best will do. A memorial JA Nis UA 1 0It,is2a 0final 2 0expression, • WA SHINGTONBLA D E.COM • 51 service one ofRY them. the culmination of a lifetime orchestrated into a singular event. What leaves a lasting impression?

A ceremony that is as unique as the individual. We’ll help you plan

In 2019,

we helped more than 475 clients buy or sell a home!

In 2020,

let’s make YOU one of our happy clients!

16698 Kings Highway Ste. A, Lewes, DE 1 9 9 5 8 • (3 0 2 ) 6 4 5 -6 6 6 4 • LeeAnnGroup.com

52 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • JAN UARY 1 0 , 2 0 2 0

New Year, New Home!

Welcome to 26 Eleanor Lee Lane East, Rehoboth Beach MLS 147230 • Offered at $889,000

Perfect Escape or Year-Round Home!

Modern, gracious style emanates from this stunning Rehoboth Beach home in a premier location. Nestled in Canal Corkran, east of Route 1 and just steps to Rehoboth Avenue, shopping, dining, the Boardwalk, and sprawling Atlantic Ocean vistas in “Our Nation’s Summer Capital!” Enjoy architectural appeal and spaciousness with high ceilings, an open floor plan, and 5 bedrooms for family and friends, or as a sought-after investment property. Long list of upgrades and design savvy features, including hardwood flooring; gourmet kitchen with large walk-in pantry, wet-bar, stainless steel appliances, granite counters and LED accent lighting; living room with cozy gas fireplace and built-ins; 2 master bedrooms; NEST smart thermostats and door locks; smart controlled water heaters; Artemide/ Italian design LED outdoor lighting; tiled outdoor shower; and a double car garage with unfinished space above offers loads of potential. Bask in the privacy and sunshine of the second-floor balcony/sun deck, or relax on the wrap-around porch amid cool, lush landscaping. Stroll or bike to Downtown Rehoboth beach, or hop on the Junction & Breakwater Trail to Lewes and Cape Henlopen State Park. Community pool is just steps away, too.

Style, space, location AND convenience - the perfect beach destination!

16698 Kings Highway Ste. A, Lewes, DE 1 9 9 5 8 • (3 0 2 ) 6 4 5 -6 6 6 4 • LeeAnnGroup.com

JA N UA RY 1 0 , 2020 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 53

ENHANCE YOUR AD WITH OUR UPGRADES PICTURES BOLD TEXT LARGE TEXT COLOR AND MORE CONTACT US AT 202-747-2077 MASSAGE ROSSLYN - MASSAGE low key spot near Rosslyn, SunTues, Spa in DC, Thurs-Sat. Call or text Gary 301-704-1158, mymassagebygary.com.

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Dr. Theodore A. Hoch, LPC, LBA, BCBA-D, Evening & Saturday appts. available.

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EMPLOYMENT Inova Juniper Program Job Opportunities

Are you interested in improving the lives of patients living with HIV? Learn more about Inova Juniper at: https://www. inova.org/juniper RN Nurse Case Manager – $2500 Sign On Bonus – Fairfax/Mt. Vernon and Falls Church Outpatient RN/LPN $2500 Sign On Bonus Opportunities available in Fairfax, Falls Church, and Dumfries Ambulatory Clinical Manager (RN) – Fairfax/Mt. Vernon Education and Prevention Manager Grants Manager Program Coordinator – Gay Mens Health Collaborative (GMHC) Community Health Educator / Community Health Worker Eligibility Worker (bilingual Spanish preferred) – Fairfax To apply for any of these positions please go to: https://www.inovacareers. org/ or contact Joseph Schmucker at joseph.schmucker @inova.org

PART-TIME LOAN OFFICER / PROCESSOR Howard University Employees Federal Credit Union is searching for a part-time employee to process loans.

The ideal candidate will be able to interview members interested in obtaining a loan and have the abilities to work up and complete the application processes from beginning to end.

Three to five years of lending experience is required. Credit union lending experience is a plus. You must have a high school diploma or equivalent. College degree is a plus. Interested candidates should email their resumes to info@huefcu.org or fax them to 202-806-4511.

WHOLISTIC SERVICES, INC. Seeking Full Time Direct Support Professionals to assist intellectually disabled adults with behavioral health complexities in group homes & day services throughout D.C. Requirements: Valid Driver’s License, able to lift 50-75 lbs., complete training program, become Med Certified within 6 months of hire, pass security background check. (Associates degree preferred) For more information please contact Human Resources @ 301-392-2500.

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LOCKER ROOM ATTENDANTS NEEDED! The Crew Club, a gay men’s naturist gym & sauna, is now hiring Locker Room Attendants. We all scrub toilets & do heavy cleaning. You must be physically able to handle the work & have a great attitude doing it. No drunks/druggies need apply. Please call David at (202) 319-1333. from 9-5pm, to schedule an interview.

LEGAL SERVICES ADOPTION, DONOR, SURROGACY legal services.

Jennifer represents LGBTQ clients in DC, MD & VA interested in adoption or ART matters. 240-863- 2441, JFairfax@jenniferfairfax.com.

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